A 67-YEAR-OLD Chinamhora woman, her two daughters and granddaughter appeared at the Harare Magistrates’ Court last Friday facing an assault charge after they allegedly ganged up and assaulted a male villager, leaving him seriously injured.
BY NQOBILE NKIWANE
The suspects — Christina Zvomuya (67), her daughters Julia (Zvomuya) and Ennita Munhapi (51) and granddaughter Moreblessing Madigi (18) — admitted the assault charge, but told the court they did so in self-defence after the complainant David Maodzwa (54) stormed their homestead and threatened to assault them.
The State alleges that on Tuesday last week, the women sent an anonymous text message to Maodzwa threatening to assault him. Upon receiving the message, Maodzwa and his wife went to the women’s home to inquire on the origins of the message and allegedly found Julia already armed with a stone ready to strike them.
The families started quarrelling over the matter before Julia struck Maodzwa with a stone on the head, accusing him of assaulting her mother.
“I am the one who threw the stone that hit his head because he had beaten up my mother and left her motionless,” Julia said.
In his bail application ruling, provincial magistrate Tendai Mahwe said by virtue of the complainant being a man it may have been possible that he was attacked in self-defence by the women.
“Considering also the fact that the man went to the accused person’s home, the charge of assault may also fail at trial,” Mahwe said. The quartet was released on free bail and remanded to May 26 for trial.
