Family of Slain School Girl (15) Demands 15 Cattle
Nobukhosi’s family allegedly buried their slain girl with the kitchen knife still stuck in her left breast where she was stabbed.
The family of Nobukhosi Moyo, a 15-year-old girl who was slain in Nkayi in 2021 by two teenage girls following a misunderstanding over a boyfriend, has demanded 15 cattle as compensation.
The families of the girl who supplied the knife and the one who stabbed Nobukhosi paid 14 cattle and six goats instead. Nobukhosi’s family allegedly buried their slain girl with the kitchen knife still stuck in her left breast where she was stabbed.
This was heard during the sentencing of the two girls aged 15 and 16 at the time of committing the offence when the High Court sat in the circuit in Hwange last week.
Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Maxwell Takuva sitting with assessors, Messrs Joe Zulu and Jacob Dubiwa found the two teens not guilty of murder but guilty of culpable homicide.
He sentenced them to three years imprisonment before suspending one year on the condition of good behaviour. The remaining two years were further suspended on the condition they perform 860 hours of community service.
A statement of agreed facts between the State led by Mrs Martha Cheda and defence counsel led by Miss W Makorokoto of Mashindi and Associates states that:
On 28 October 2021 at around 1 pm, the three girls were at school when the now-deceased Nobukhosi Moyo approached the 16-year-old teen and accused her of spreading rumours about her.
At around 4 pm on their way home, the two had a misunderstanding over a boyfriend who is a gold panner. Accused girl no.1 indicated that she wanted to assault the now deceased before her ally accused girl no.2 handed her the kitchen knife.
The now deceased hit accused girl no.1 on the chest with a fist and a fight ensued. As they were fighting, accused girl no.1 drew the knife and stabbed Nobukhosi once on the nose and palm. Nobukhosi then ran away but her assailant pursued her.
Nobukhosi picked up a stone and stick intending to assault her assailant who had also armed herself with a stone. Nobukhosi threw the stone but missed and her assailant got the chance to dispossess her of the stick before stabbing her once on the left shoulder and left breast with the knife, leaving it stuck in her.
Nobukhosi ran for about 100 metres before collapsing and dying on the spot.