BY STEPHEN CHADENGA
A MENTALLY ill Zvishavane man, who killed his sister and her five-year-old son last year in a dispute over his National Social Security Authority (NSSA) documents, was acquitted last Friday after the High Court considered his mental condition.
Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Christopher Dube-Banda ruled that Newton Hove of Madhiye village under Chief Mazvihwa in Zvishavane had a documented history of mental illness.
The judge said Hove could not be held legally responsible for his actions leading to the double murder.
It was the State’s case that on January 8, 2020 at around 7pm, Hove asked for his NSSA documents from his sister saying he wanted to travel to town to access his pension.
When the sister failed to co-operate, Hove lost his temper and struck her with an adze, stabbed her repeatedly until she died.
He later turned to the deceased’s son and killed him using the same weapons, leading to his arrest.
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