EDWIN MOYO
Mvuma – The High Court has sentenced Jaison Dzingira, a herdman at a Mvuma farm, to 20 years in prison for axing his workmate to death following a dispute involving ZW$22,50.
Justice Martin Makonese delivered the judgement at the Gweru High Court Circuit last week. The 23-year-old Dzingira, who pleaded guilty, was charged of murder as defined in Section 47 of the Criminal Law and Codification Reform Act Chapter 9:23.
According to the state which was represented by Mirirai Shumba, on 28 March 2020, Dzingira struck the now deceased, Trust Munhuwei (29), twice in the head with an axe after the latter failed to give him his share of ZWL22.50 obtained from milk sales.
On the fateful day, Munhuwei milked six litres of milk from cows at their employer’s farm and proceeded to sell the it for ZW$45 in Mvuma. The two were supposed to share proceeds from the milk sales equally. When Dzingira asked the deceased for his share, Munhuwei refused to hand over the money arguing that he had used it to buy cooking oil which they were supposed to use together.
The response angered his colleague who then took an axe and struck the deceased on the head twice. Munhuwei fell down and died on the spot.
Upon committing the crime, Dzingira proceeded to search the deceased and took a Nokia cellphone with SIM card which had Ecocash money amounting to RTGS $500. He then threw the body of the deceased into a pit and covered it with empty bags of cement.
