A Kariba woman has been sentenced by the High Court to 620 hours of community service for fatally stabbing her jealous boyfriend with a broken beer bottle at the Nyami Nyami Festival.
Sibongile Jeke Siyanjalike was initially given a three-year prison term, but Justice Bhachi Mzawazi of the Chinhoyi High Court suspended two years pending good behavior and one year conditional on completing the community service at Nyamhunga Clinic.
Siyanjalike’s murder charge was downgraded to culpable homicide due to lack of witnesses. Court documents reveal that Siyanjalike and the deceased, Keith Kadziyange, were in a romantic relationship and were temporarily employed at Lake Harvest Sports Club on October 29, 2022.
The court learned that Kadziyange became intensely jealous of Siyanjalike’s interactions with other men at the festival.
He confronted her twice over these allegations, assaulting her during the first encounter by slapping her thrice. Siyanjalike, after the assault, returned to her seat seemingly unaffected.
However, Kadziyange later observed Siyanjalike sitting with two men and assaulted her again. She sought help from the police, but Kadziyange seized a baton from an officer and struck Siyanjalike once in the stomach.Siyanjalike broke an empty beer bottle before inflicting fatal neck injuries on the deceased.
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The court ruled that a case of gender-based violence was committed between a single mother and a deceased man who physically abused her.
The woman, who had several minor children from her previous relationship, was a night worker who worked to support her family. The deceased was brazen and disregardful of police intervention, continuing to physically abuse the woman.
The accused, a single mother, was negligent in using a beer bottle to stab the deceased, causing death. The judge considered the woman’s personal and circumstances, stating that she had no history of violence or criminal behavior and that the physical abuse was not justified.
The court also emphasized that punishing the mother by another custodial term would indirectly punish the children, as the children would be left without someone to care for them.
The court emphasized the importance of gender sensitivity in sentencing, stating that the accused person should be considered without being gender biased.
