Panashe Mpofu, a 33-year-old woman from Bulawayo, has been sentenced to two years in prison for assaulting a neighbour’s child after discovering that her son and three other children were bunking school.
As reported by ZimLive, Mpofu became enraged when informed by the neighborhood watch in Old Luveve that her son, two girls, and another boy were skipping school and hanging out at a house whose owners are said to be living in the United Kingdom. The second boy resides at the house.
On November 8, Mpofu confronted the group and used a switch to beat her son and the two girls after the other boy fled.
The family of one of the girls involved filed a police report, leading to Mpofu’s arrest.
Mpofu, who appeared in court without legal representation, pleaded guilty to assault.
At the West Commonage Magistrates Court, Magistrate Vakayi Douglas Chikwekwe sentenced Mpofu to two years in prison, with six months conditionally suspended, meaning she will serve an effective 18-month sentence. Speaking before sentencing, Chikwekwe said:
Cases of assault are rampant in Bulawayo, not a day goes by without at least five cases being reported and some of these victims end up suffering from disability.”
The magistrate said that in determining the sentence, he considered that the victim was a child who had sustained injuries that prevented her from attending school.
He also took into account the financial burden the victim’s family faced in covering her medical expenses.
The victim is the niece of prominent Matopo gold miner Mkhululi Ncube and controversial lawyer Mlweliwenkululeko Ncube.
Mpofu’s family has engaged a Bulawayo lawyer to file an urgent appeal against the sentence. A family spokesperson said:
This is a parent who was disciplining children who were engaging in wayward behaviour. The parents of this girl should actually be thanking her, not persecuting her.
More: Pindula News