POLICE in Bulawayo have arrested a 49-year-old man who allegedly beat his stepson to death over his excessive drinking habits.
Isa Phiri of Bulawayo’s Kingsdale suburb was arrested on Tuesday afternoon after police allegedly found overwhelming evidence linking him to the death of 33-year-old Tafadzwa Sibanda.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube told the Daily News yesterday that Phiri allegedly assaulted Sibanda when he came home drunk.
Sibanda had to be hospitalised following the beating and succumbed to the injuries on December 24 last year at Mpilo Central Hospital.
“The now deceased is alleged to have been very drunk. He is alleged to have started shouting at the accused person for unknown reasons. The accused person then assaulted the now deceased several times all over the body using fists, booted feet, and a stone.
“After realising that the now deceased had been injured, the accused person summoned an ambulance which ferried the now deceased to Mpilo hospital at around 8pm where he was admitted. The now deceased passed away on December 24 while he was still admitted at Mpilo,” Ncube said.
He said an autopsy report showed that Sibanda had died from injuries sustained during the beating.
“On January 28, 2022, police received a tip off and a follow up was made at Mpilo hospital. It was discovered that the now deceased passed away on 24 December 2021 and a post-mortem was conducted on December 25.
“Post-mortem results indicated that the cause of death was due to compact mental syndrome, severe muscle trauma, and calleus assault. It was discovered that no report was made to the police,” Ncube said.
He further told this publication that Phiri had admitted to committing the offence when police raided his home.
“On January 29, 2022, a case of murder was reported at Queenspark Police Station. On the same day, a tip off was received that the accused person was at his place of residence. Police reacted leading to the arrest of the accused person and he admitted committing the offence.”
Police urged residents to consider non-violent means of resolving conflicts to avoid unnecessary loss of life and to report suspicious activities happening around them in order to curb crime.
“We warn the public not to take the law into their own hands, but to solve their issues amicably so as to avoid such incidents and unnecessary loss of life. Police also encourage communities to report any suspicious activities as some cases go unreported,” Ncube said.
by
Andile Tshuma
in BULAWAYO