THE families of two teenage girls who made headlines in 2021 when they fatally stabbed a rival with a knife following a misunderstanding over a boyfriend have paid 14 cattle and six goats demanded by the aggrieved family as compensation.
The family had demanded 15 beasts and the other one was paid in the form of the six goats. This was heard during the sentencing of the two girls aged 15 and 16 at the time of committing the offence when the High Court sat in circuit in Hwange last week.
Following the death of 15-year-old Nobukhosi Moyo, her family demanded 15 cattle from the families of the two assailants, the one who supplied the knife and the one who delivered the fatal blow as compensation or appeasement.
The incident which shocked the Nkayi community and general public saw the family of the deceased allegedly burying her with the kitchen knife still lodged in her left breast where the fatal blow had been delivered in anger.
Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Maxwell Takuva sitting with assessors, Messrs Joe Zulu and Jacob Dubiwa found the two teens not guilty of murder but guilty of culpable homicide.
He sentenced them to three years imprisonment before suspending one year on condition of good behaviour.
The girls heaved a sigh of relief when the remaining two years were further suspended on condition they perform 860 hours of community service.
According to a statement of agreed facts between the State led by Mrs Martha Cheda and defence counsel led by a Miss W Makorokoto of Mashindi and Associates, on 28 October 2021 at around 1pm the three girls were at school when the now deceased Nobukhosi Moyo approached the 16-year-old teen and accused her of spreading rumours about her.
At around 4pm on their way home, the two had a misunderstanding over a boyfriend who is a gold panner.
The girl who was accused number one indicated that she wanted to assault the now deceased before her ally who had joined them handed her the kitchen knife.
The now deceased hit the girl who was accused number one on the chest with a fist and a fight ensued.
As they were fighting, the girl who was accused number one drew the knife and stabbed the now deceased once on the nose and palm. The now deceased then ran away but her assailant pursued her.
The now deceased picked up a stone and stick intending to assault her assailant who had also armed herself with a stone.
The now deceased threw the stone but missed and her assailant got the chance to dispossess her of the stick before stabbing her once on the left shoulder and left breast with the knife, leaving it stuck on her. The now deceased ran for about 100 metres before collapsing and dying on the spot. – Sunday News
