Murderer “speechless” after guilty verdict

A 27-year-old Zimbabwean, Marshall Zimbudzana, was found guilty of the gruesome murder of Mr Sonnyboy Nkosi during an incident early last year. He appeared in the Thohoyandou High Court for sentencing on Tuesday.

The court found that he had hacked Mr Sonnyboy Nkosi (40) with a spade on 17 March 2012, at Muduluni village. Nkosi, who resided at Tshikhwani in Madombidzha village, was Zimbudzana's co-worker and a foreman at a borehole company. The incident happened at the home of a client, where the two were stationed to drill a borehole.

During the trial, Zimbudzana did not plead guilty, but maintained that he was also shocked and surprised to find Nkosi lying dead when he (Zimbudzana) returned from buying some cigarettes at a nearby kiosk.

On Tuesday, Judge Khami Makhafola provided the platform for the convict to give arguments in mitigation of sentence, but Zimbudzana couldn't utter a word. The judge then said that it would sound totally unfair for the court to continue sentencing Zimbudzana while he had not said anything in mitigation.

Makhafola then directed the prosecution to arrange for the convicted murderer to consult with the probation officer (the social worker's office), so that the official could, after a session with Zimbudzana, submit a written report in mitigation of the accused's sentence.

Zimbudzana agreed to consult with a probation officer, where a Shona interpreter would also be made available during the session. "The prosecution has been tasked to arrange an urgent appointment of the probation officer to consult with the accused," said Judge Makhafola.

Nkosi's widow, Ms Joyce Ramaropi (41), had been attending the court throughout the trial. She looked dejected and very distant on Tuesday, as she sat literally alone in the empty gallery. “I thought they were going to sentence him today, but he didn't want to speak,” she told Limpopo Mirror after the court adjourned. “He deserves a death sentence, because if he is sent to jail, he can still choose the kind of menu he wants.”

“My husband was a very good person who loved God and all people,” she continued. “He was also the sole breadwinner in the family. He left me and the four children, and nobody works in the family. Every day I feel that pain of losing my husband. Our pain is very deep."

Zimbudzana's case was postponed to Thursday (31 October) for possible sentencing. At the time of going to press, the result was not available yet.

News - Date: 01 November 2013

Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

Email: [email protected]