Tapiwa Chikanga, (32) who ripped 83 yr old’s stomach open, is sentenced to death

MASVINGO: A High Court judge has sent a man to the gallows for ripping open an 83 year old man’s stomach and stealing his $5,000 which the elderly villager had just received as compensation for relocation from Tokwe Mukosi.

Justice Francis Bere sentenced Tapiwa Chikanga, 32, from Chivi to death with an additional 20 years in jail for two other robbery crimes he committed to other flood victims.

The judge said Chikanga deserved the death penalty as he had shown to be a society misfit.

“The younger generation is expected to safeguard the elderly in the society but the accused had gone against that,” Justice Bere said while delivering his judgement.

Prosecutor Elison Chavarika told the court that on the night of 4 October 2013, Chikanga and his other accomplice who is still at large, soon after receiving their compensation money went on to rob other villagers.

The court heard that, while wearing masks, the duo went to Charamba Mapfumo’s homestead and found him and his wife asleep.

One of them shoved Mapfumo’s wife to the floor and stabbed her with a knife below the breast, and several times on the shoulder.

Chikanga then struck Mapfumo once on the head using his knife, demanding money from the couple.

The court was told that Chikanga used his knife to rip open Mapfumo’s abdomen, insisting they would kill everyone if they did not get away with the money.

Mapfumo’s wife pleaded with her husband to tell them where the family had hidden the money.

The deceased was then force marched to a cattle pen where the family had dug a hole and hid their $5 000 compensation money.

Chikanga and his friend took the money and vanished into the darkness, leaving their victims writhing in agony before other villagers rushed the couple to hospital.

A police report was then made and Mapfumo later died.

Chikanga was arrested after one of his victims, Ruramai Gwamure, whom he had earlier tried to rob on the same night, positively identified him during a police identification parade. source-newzimbabwe