Chinhoyi man jailed 12 years for stabbing father and friend in drunken bar fight
The High Court has sentenced Believe Mpofu to 12 years in prison after convicting him of murder with constructive intent for fatally stabbing his friend, and culpable homicide for the death of his estranged father, during a violent Independence Day altercation at Tutsi Mine.
Justice Catherine Bachi Mzawazi ruled that Mpofu armed himself with a homemade knife and launched an unprovoked attack after quarrelling with fellow imbibers.
“The accused returned mumbling angrily that he cannot be assaulted in such a manner whilst holding a knife and moving rapidly,” an eyewitness testified, describing Mpofu’s “frenzied disposition” before stabbing Sadamu Mawuka multiple times.
When his father, Simbarashe Mukono, attempted to restrain him, Mpofu turned on him, stabbing him once in the neck.
Mukono collapsed and died instantly. Mawuka succumbed to his injuries the following day in hospital.
The court dismissed Mpofu’s defences of provocation and self-defence as “highly improbable and bordered on falsehoods.”
Mzawazi noted that “all the falsehoods in the accused’s story cumulatively expose his guilt… Both defences of provocation and self-defence are unsustainable and outrightly rejected.”
On sentencing, the judge noted the need for deterrence:
“The degree of blameworthiness is on the higher side given that a dangerous weapon was used with fatal consequences. A clear message must be sent that killings over trivialities must be stopped. Life is valuable.”
Mpofu was sentenced to 12 years for murder and three years for culpable homicide, but the terms will run concurrently, meaning he will serve 12 years in total.
The court acknowledged his troubled upbringing and exposure to artisanal mining violence, but insisted justice must balance mercy with public confidence.
“A deterrent sentence is necessary, so as not to shake societal confidence in the criminal justice system and to warn others of the consequences of taking the law into their own hands.”
