The ManicaPost
Julia N`andu Court Reporter
A NINE-YEAR-OLD reported his father to the police for beating him up after he did not bring back his 50-cent bond coin change.
Tapiwa Matambo (35) appeared before Mutare provincial magistrate, Mr Lazarus Murendo charged with ill-treatment or neglect of children as defined in Section 7(1) of the Children`s Act, Chapter 5:06. He pleaded guilty to the charges, but told the court that the boy was disrespectful. “I thought I was disciplining him because he was becoming disrespectful,” he said.
Public prosecutor, Mr Brighton Shamhuyarira, told the court that the crime was committed on May 28. He said the suspect gave his son a $1 bond coin to go and buy cooking oil at the shops. However, upon his return from the shopping centre, Matambo assaulted him, accusing him of not bringing back the change.
The court heard that Tsverukai Matambo came to the boy’s rescue and ferried the minor to hospital where a police report was also made. The child was taken to Simukai where he is in safe custody. He was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment and four were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.
He will spend an effective six months in jail. In an unrelated story, an Odzi man was hauled before the courts for severely assaulting his 12-year-old son and burning his right hand. Netto Chinenere appeared before Mutare magistrate, Mr Innocent Bepura, facing charges of ill-treating a minor as defined in Section 7(1) of the Children`s Act, Chapter 5:06.
Mr Fletcher Karombe prosecuted. He said the suspect committed the crime on May 21. “On that day at 6pm at Village D, Nyangudzi in Odzi, Chinenere sent his son to the fields to get some sweet-potatoes, but he brought a few of them. This did not go well with Chinenere who assaulted his son. He later burnt his hand with a burning log.”
Three days later he tried to assault the child again, but he ran away and sought refuge at his uncle’s place. The uncle referred him to a village health worker.
The matter was subsequently reported to the police.
