MIDWEEK REPORTER
MASVINGO CITY-Prosecutor Precious Takuva put up a spirited fight to secure a conviction for the notorious Nemamwa woman, Nalanzi Magafutini who sank her sharp teeth into a 19 year old teenager inflicting life threatening injuries on her.
Takuva’s patients paid off as the trial wound on for a long time when the papers for Magafutini’s previous convictions on similar offences were difficult to locate.
She said to get the papers was like looking for a needle in a hay stake as it took over seven days to get them and after that the case proceeded leading to the conviction of Magafutini of Muzoroza Village under Chief Nemamwa.
Magafutini was handed a 12 months prison sentence with hard labour for sinking her teeth, dog style into Sarafina Munasi (19)’s body on seven different spots including hands, legs, back and chest removing chunks of flesh in the process on October 18, 2024.
Sarafina had to be taken to the clinic for treatment as the wounds were so deep and had to get an anti tetanus shot.
The altercation occurred on October 18, 2024, at around 10am, following a minor dispute between Munasi and Magafutini’s 7-year-old daughter.
Despite spirited efforts by the accused, alleging that they were fighting and she was also injured in the process including being threatened with a knife, Takuva managed to convince Magistrate Caroline Tafira Nyoni that she was fabricating and wasting the court’s time.
Magafutini also brought in a doctor’s report which in turn worked against her favour as she lied that her eye was hit forcing the doctor to ask why it took her seven days to go to hospital with a red eye.
The doctor concurred with the prosecutor that she was stage managing the injury.
Despite roping in a legal practitioner all that failed to serve her from going to ‘college’ as the late wordsmith Paul doctor Love Matavire would say.
The doctor actually warned that the human bite is very dangerous and can be fatal if not properly treated.
Magistrate Nyoni handed her with nine months in prison and when Takuva pointed out that Magafutini had a previous conviction in 2022 for a similar offence where she was sentenced to three months plus community service and advised not to commit the same offence within five years.
Unfortunately she went on to commit the same offence before five years had expired hence the Magistrate added the three suspended months on the nine that she had given her to make them 12.
