Matobo man runs amok, burns down mother’s house

Source: Matobo man runs amok, burns down mother’s house | The Sunday News

Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter

AN 18-year-old man from Ntunjambili Village in Matobo District, Matabeleland South Province reportedly ran amok and threatened to kill his mother before setting her hut ablaze and went on to destroy household property with an axe.

The man — Mbizo Collen Dube’s savage act came barely a month after he destroyed his neighbour’s 2 000 bricks, uprooted her vegetable and tomato plants and also harvested maize cobs in the garden.

He was arraigned before Kezi magistrate Mr Busani Sibanda on Wednesday last week facing four charges that include malicious damage to property and physical abuse.

Dube pleaded guilty to the charges, but Mr Sibanda remanded him in custody to Thursday for sentencing.
Prosecuting, Ms Mufaro Ndirayire told the court that on the first count, on 27 May 2024 at about 8am at Felokwakhe Dube’s homestead, Ntunjambili Village, Chief Masuku, Matobo, Dube threatened to assault and kill his mother, Ms Plaxedes Chiringazana demanding that she must give him money for the bricks he once moulded.

He was also complaining that his mother was siding with people who assaulted him sometime in April.
The court was also told that on 28 May 2024 early in the morning, the accused drained petrol from a water pump engine and splashed it in the dining room where his sister was sleeping with her children threatening to burn them while demanding money from her.

On the second count, the State told the court that Dube took an axe that he used to destroy a 12-volt solar battery, 12-watt solar panel and two other small solar panels.

He also broke a small Samsung cellphone. The value of the damaged property was put at US$560 and nothing was recovered.

It was the State’s case that later on during the night around 8pm, the accused person set on fire a round thatched hut. He took two blankets and several clothes from the main house that he threw into the raging fire and they all were burnt.

On the third count, the court was told that the complainant is Ms Grace Nyathi (74) who resides at her homestead in the same village and is not related to Dube.

The prosecutor told the court that sometime in April the accused person sold bricks to the complainant.
The complainant did not collect the bricks from the place they were moulded because they were waiting to be burnt in a brick furnace.

Realising that the bricks had not been collected, Dube proceeded to the place where the bricks were with a scotch cart with the intention of loading them for delivery to another person who he had sold the bricks to.

It was the State’s case that he was approached and stopped from loading them by the complainant who was alerted by neighbours. In a fit of rage over his foiled deal Dube then pushed the block of bricks to the ground destroying 2  000 units.

On the fourth count which was, however, withdrawn before plea, Ms Ndirayire told the court that on 28 May 2024 at around 5am Dube proceeded to Grace Nyathi’s garden which is located at her homestead and uprooted her green vegetables and tomato plants.

He also harvested maize cobs which he left scattered in the garden.

The matter was reported to the police leading to the arrest of the accused person and the total value of the damaged property is US$175 and nothing was recovered.