Walter Msawazie

Sunday News correspondent

HIGH Court Judge Justice George Hungwe recently sentenced a man and his three sons to 10 years imprisonment after he found them guilty of murdering a fellow villager they had a fight with over land.

The High Court was recently in circuit in Masvingo.

Justice Hungwe, while acknowledging a 12-month delay in finalising the case, convicted Fanuel Shenjere (62) and his three sons, Collen (37), Innocent (33) and Douglas, all of Mushariu Village under Chief Murinye, of murder with constructive intent for the murder of Josiah Gudo of the same village in 2000.

Mr Tinaye Matenga for the State said Gudo was murdered following a dispute with Shenjere and his sons over ownership of a piece of grazing land.

He said on 23 January 2000, Shenjere and his sons chased Silas Mahaso, Gudo’s nephew, from the grazing land claiming that the portion of land he was herding cattle  on belonged to him (Sherenje).

After some time Sherenje passed near the grazing pastures where he saw Gudo with Mahaso and Thomas Mashizha.

Shenjere and his sons attacked them with catapults and knobkerries before the father stabbed Gudo with a knife in the abdomen.

Gudo’s mother testified during trial that she picked him up from the spot where he had collapsed and ferried him to the clinic where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

A report was made to the police leading to the arrest of the quartet.