MARTIN MAWAYA
GWERU-The High Court sitting in Gweru circuit has handed down stiff sentences to two men convicted of separate murder cases, sending a strong message following a surge of violent crimes in the Midlands province.
In the first case, Justice Munamato Mutevedzi sentenced Trust Khaki to 30 years in prison for the gruesome murder of his 1-year-3-month-old daughter.
The court heard that on February 19, 2021, Khaki sexually abused the infant before striking her on the head with a blunt object and repeatedly assaulting her all over the body, leading to her death.
Deputy Prosecutor General, Justin Uladi told the court that the murder occurred in the absence of the child’s mother, Yeukai Nerutanga, who had left the baby with Khaki while she went to collect their social welfare allocations.
When Nerutanga returned home, she found the child struggling to breathe and with visible injuries, including a deformed forehead, bruises, and a scratch on her back.
The child was pronounced dead by Khaki’s grandmother, Euriana Khaki, prompting a police report.
In the second case, the court also sentenced Life Rangwani to 30 years in prison for the murder of Blessed Chanakira.
The court heard that on November 24, 2020, Rangwani, together with his brother Alector Rangwani, armed with an axe and a machete, chased and attacked Chanakira.
Rangwani struck Chanakira once on the head with the axe, leaving a 7cm deep cut with his brains exposed.
Chanakira was rushed to Gokwe District Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Delivering the sentences, Justice Mutevedzi expressed the court’s deep concern over the surge in murder cases in the mineral-rich Midlands province, noting that the crimes are being committed with “gratuitous violence.”
The judge emphasized the need to curb these violent crimes before the province descends into anarchy.
The deterrent sentences handed down by the Gweru High Court circuit send a clear warning to would-be offenders, underscoring the judiciary’s commitment to protecting the public and curbing the rise in violent criminal activities in the province.
