A court has since sentenced him to 10 years in jail. Anderson
Munkuli (47) of Lubu 4 in Chief Binga’s area went berserk when he discovered
that his Form Four daughter Respect (17) was six months pregnant and wanted to
get married to the person responsible for the pregnancy.
On April 24 last year, Munkuli summoned the man – who was
not named in court – and he offered to marry the girl but Munkuli was opposed
to the marriage, saying his daughter was still young and in school. A seething
Munkuli armed himself with three spears and summoned his wife, Otilia and
Respect. He ordered them to kneel before him and thrust a spear in front of
each of them while he held the other, threatening to stab them.
Munkuli struck his wife three times with the handle of the
spear before kicking the girl once on the stomach. Both fled in terror and
sought refuge at a neighbour’s place where they stayed for 12 days as they were
afraid to go home. The girl suffered abdominal pains after the assault but did
not seek medical help.
She collapsed and died 12 days later on May 6. Munkuli was
found not guilty of murder but guilty of a lesser charge of culpable homicide
when he appeared before Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Martin Makonese who
is on circuit in Hwange. He was also charged with physical abuse for the
assault on his wife.
The judge implored parents and guardians to desist from
using violence on children. He sentenced Munkuli to 10 years in jail but
suspended two years for five years on condition of good behaviour. Prosecuting,
Mrs Martha Cheda said Munkuli kicked Respect once in the stomach and punched
her twice on the head on April 24, 2020.
“The accused entered a bedroom hut and came back armed with
three spears. He shoved one spear near the deceased who was kneeling down and
another closer to his wife and sat down on a stool holding the other which he
used to hit his wife three times and the handle broke. He then kicked the
deceased once on the stomach before punching her twice on the back of the head.
The girl developed abdominal pains and died on May 6,” said Mrs Cheda.
Mrs Cheda said after the assault, Otilia and her daughter
managed to escape and fled to a neighbour’s place. On May 6, Otilia decided to
go back to her homestead leaving her daughter behind. Along the way, she discovered
that the deceased was following her. The girl collapsed and died on the road.
Ms Charity Manyeza of Ndove and Associates represented Munkuli pro-deo. Chronicle
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