Latifa Yokonia
(20) of Yokonia Village, 4 Miles, Zvishavane, was convicted of culpable
homicide by Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Munamato Mutevedzi sitting on
circuit in Gweru.
Yokonia was
initially facing a murder charge in connection with the death of her husband Mr
Augustine Hove (34), of Rindai Village, Chief Mukanganwi in Masvingo. She
tendered a limited plea of guilty to culpable. Yokonia will serve an effective
two years in prison after the judge suspended three years on condition of good
behaviour.
The prosecutor,
Mr Talent Tadenyika told the court that the couple lived in a disused 5
000-litre JoJo tank at Call Mine compound, Vanguard, Mberengwa. On June 26 last
year, at around 6.30am, a misunderstanding arose when Hove accused Yokonia of
infidelity.
“The two had a
misunderstanding, as the deceased was alleging that the offender had an extra
marital affair with another man in Vanguard, Mberengwa,” said Mr Tadenyika.
Following the
misunderstanding, Yokonia packed her belongings intending to leave.
Mr Hove tried
to stop her, which escalated the argument. In anger, Yokonia picked up a
kitchen knife and stabbed Hove once in the upper left buttock and once in the
left leg.
Mr Hove was
initially assisted by a witness, Desire Nyathi, to report the matter at
Mberengwa Police Station. He was admitted to Mberengwa District Hospital and
later transferred to United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH).
On July 27, Mr
Hove was discharged from UBH and returned to his rural home in Masvingo.
However, on August 1, he died. A post-mortem conducted at Masvingo Provincial
Hospital revealed that the cause of death was empyema, peritonitis, and stab
wounds. This led to Yokonia’s arrest.
In her defence
through her lawyer, Mr Esau Mandipa of Mandipa, Makwara, and Chikukwa Law
Practices, Yokonia claimed that Hove was the aggressor as he assaulted her when
she attempted to leave.
Justice
Mutevedzi acknowledged this but emphasised that violence could not be used to
resolve disputes.
“Yes, the
deceased was being violent towards the accused but she used violence to stop
him, leading to his death,” he said.
Justice
Mutevedzi also expressed concern over the rising number of murder cases in the
Midlands Province.
“Midlands
Province is now notorious for murder cases and there is a need for all
stakeholders to come together and address the issue of violence to curb or
reduce these cases,” he said.
Two witnesses,
Desire Nyathi (28) and Alex Moyo (44), testified that they saw Yokonia and Hove
fighting on the morning of June 28. They assisted in ferrying Hove to hospital
after he was stabbed.
Meanwhile, a
44-year-old Bulawayo woman appeared in court yesterday accused of fatally
stabbing her estranged husband.
The deceased,
Mr Qinisela Nyathi, had reportedly filed for a protection order against his
wife, Sifiso Dube, and the two were living apart at the time of the incident.
“During the
scuffle, the accused slit the now deceased’s throat with a kitchen knife, which
broke into four pieces during the attack. The deceased managed to overpower the
accused, grabbing the remaining piece of the knife with the handle,” said Ms
Ndiraire.
The court heard
that the deceased attempted to stab the accused but failed. Instead, he
scratched her on the elbows and chest with the blunt piece.
The commotion
alarmed tenants in the adjacent rooms, prompting them to rush to the scene.
The court heard
that Mr Nyathi fled the house, running into a nearby bush. He collapsed about
200 metres away in a maize field.
His lifeless
body was discovered the following morning by passers-by, lying in a pool of
blood. Chronicle
