Chivi Elder Jailed For Strangling Minor Over Stolen Sweet Cane
MASVINGO – A 66-year-old man from Chivi has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after being convicted by the High Court for murdering a six-year-old boy in a dispute over stolen Sweet cane (ipwa).
Justice Sunsley Zisengwe delivered the judgment, ruling that Alphios Gwatirinda of Dzigagwi Village, Chivi, intentionally caused the death of Blessed Mafirowanda on March 4, 2022.
The court heard that Gwatirinda chased Blessed for approximately 20 metres after accusing him and three other minors of stealing sweet cane from his garden.
Upon catching Blessed, Gwatirinda strangled him to death and concealed the body in a bush about 300 metres away.
A postmortem conducted at Masvingo Provincial Hospital revealed that the cause of death was strangulation and respiratory failure.
Gwatirinda, who was represented by Derick Charamba, denied the allegations when confronted by the victim’s mother, Sithembile Ndlovu.
Prosecutor Emmanuel Matose presented the case, while Charamba questioned the reliability of Blessed’s older brother, Lovemore, as a key witness.
Charamba argued that Lovemore delayed reporting the incident, raising doubts about the consistency of his testimony. “If he truly witnessed the murder, why did he remain silent, even as a search party was actively looking for his missing brother?” Charamba said.
The State revealed that Blessed, his brother Lovemore, and two other boys had been driving cattle and later stole chewing cane before encountering Gwatirinda.
Blessed was caught during the ensuing chase, while Lovemore later informed his mother about the incident.
Despite Gwatirinda’s denial, Lovemore led a search party to discover Blessed’s lifeless body the following morning.
The Mirror reported that the court found Gwatirinda to be of sound mind at the time of the murder, making him criminally accountable for his actions.
