Wednesday, May 25, 2011

"Spearchucker": more than just a racial slur

Those who think that people are pretty much the same the world over, even in darkest Africa, may find the following story interesting...or at least a bit unsettling. It's taken from the May 25th online edition of the Zimbabwean paper NewsDay. The names have not been changed to protect the innocent or the not-so-innocent.

A suspected thief from Magunje shocked the small rural village when he stabbed and killed a neighbourhood watch committee member with a spear before setting fire to his own father’s thatched hut, accusing his dad of snitching on him.

Jealous Tomase allegedly stabbed Wellington Beremauro in the stomach with a spear and, for good measure, struck him several times on the head with an iron bar, killing him instantly.

The state prosecutor alleges that on the fateful day, Beremauro and his colleagues, Never Chitsato and Pascal Zvikonyaniswa, were executing their duties as neighbourhood watch members when they went to Tomasi’s homestead, searching for stolen property. Upon seeing the local law enforcement agents, Tomasi allegedly took to his heels and disappeared for a while.

The neighbourhood watch team proceeded to conduct a search and recovered the stolen property which they took to Tomasi’s father’s homestead for recording. Unbeknownst to them, that was the very place in which Tomasi had sought refuge. He allegedly appeared from behind a kitchen, armed with two spears and an axe.

Tomasi allegedly threw the spear striking Beremauro in the stomach knocking him down. He allegedly proceeded to strike him several times with an iron bar.

As if that was not enough, Tomasi is also alleged to have set on fire his father’s huts, accusing him of selling him out to the neghbourhood watch team. He appeared before High Court judge Justice Samuel Kudya last Monday, facing a charge of murder. The state apparently decided to proceed only on the murder charge, as it seemed there'd already been enough arson around.

Tomasi pled not guilty but his efforts to defend himself were thwarted when his father Victor Tomasi, testified against him. The accused’s father said he personally witnessed Beremauro being speared in the stomach by his son. At that point dad ran away, returning later only to discover his huts had been torched. The trial continues this week.

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