A company executive from Harare has been sentenced to six months in jail for assaulting one of his employees at a Beitbridge hotel during a dispute over firewood.
Pascal Musavaya, aged 51 and serving as the chief executive officer of Hilmax Engineering in Southerton, Harare, has been ordered to complete 270 hours of community service at Selous Primary School in Harare instead of serving the jail term.
Musavaya appeared before Beitbridge Magistrate Tafadzwa Gwazemba on Tuesday, where his six-month sentence was converted to community service.
The incident occurred on August 30 of this year, when Musavaya arrived at Kuduland Safari Camp with some companions, including women, for a pre-booked stay.
Upon arrival, Musavaya was allocated rooms by Gamuchirai Bridget Tsuro, but he expressed dissatisfaction with the amount of firewood available at the fireplace.
After requesting more firewood and receiving it, Musavaya remained unsatisfied and proceeded to punch Tsuro once in the mouth, causing her to bleed.
Tsuro reported the incident to the police, resulting in Musavaya’s arrest. However, he was initially released by the police, only to be re-arrested when Tsuro threatened to escalate the matter to their superiors.
Musavaya pleaded guilty to the charge of assault. The prosecution was handled by Pithey Magumula.
