An MDC-T councillor has been sentenced to 12 months in prison after he fractured his wife’s back, accusing him of being a bad cook.
Tawanda Magidi (47), the Mkoba suburb Ward 16 councillor in Gweru, assaulted his wife with a garden pick tool handle several times and fractured her back.
Giving evidence in court, Magidi’s wife, Vongai Muchaneta (33) said that she was assaulted while in the middle of cooking a meal for Magidi. She said:
He brought some meat and when I was in the middle of cooking it, he started shouting at me accusing me of being a bad wife and a bad cook.
He then slapped me on both cheeks and picked a pick handle and struck me several times on my back.
The following morning, I fled to my rural home in Bikita where my relatives took me to hospital.
I was told by the doctor that I had suffered a fracture on my backbone.
Magidi also allegedly assaulted his wife with open hands twice on both cheeks.
The incident occurred on 8 December 2021 at around 9 PM.
After the assault, Muchaneta left Gweru for her rural home area in Bikita and was then taken to hospital, where a doctor observed that she had suffered a fractured backbone.
The matter was reported to the police leading to the arrest of Magidi.
Magidi, who resides in Mkoba 18, Gweru, pleaded not guilty to the charge of physical abuse.
He was, however, convicted by magistrate Progress Murandu after a full trial.
He was sentenced to 12 months in prison but six months of the sentence were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
Magidi will spend six months at WhaWha prison.
He has, however, initiated an appeal process against his conviction and sentence.
Margaret Mukucha prosecuted.