The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Correspondent
A HONDE VALLEY man recently torched his grandmother’s huts and destroyed property worth $37 000 for taking back his child to his in-laws.
Prosper Madiwa (20) of Mandeya Village was convicted on his own guilty plea to the arson charges he was facing when he appeared before Mutasa magistrate, Mr Artwell Sanyatwe.
He was sentenced to a 12-month jail term.
Prosper will serve an effective four months imprisonment after four months were suspended on condition of good behaviour for the next five years.
The other four months were suspended on condition that he reinstitutes his 69-year-old grandmother her property she lost during the fire.
Mr Tinashe Madziwa represented the State. The court heard that Prosper forcibly collected his three-year-old child from his ex-wife’s place and refused to return the child.
His grandmother, Mrs Maria Madiwa had to take the child back two days later after the ex-wife’s parents had complained to her.
When he heard that his grandmother had taken the child back to his ex-wife, Prosper threatened to burn down her huts as well as sell her harvest.
That evening as Mrs Madiwa was preparing dinner in her kitchen, Prosper entered, took a burning log and torched the grass-thatched hut while blocking the door.
Mrs Madiwa was with her other grandchildren in the kitchen when Prosper set it on fire.
They were rescued by neighbours who rushed to the scene after being alerted by the smoke that was coming from the burning roof.
As neighbours were helping Mrs Madiwa and her grandchildren to escape, Prosper set another hut which was used as a granary on fire. Mrs Madiwa’s harvest of maize and beans were destroyed.
Prosper fled.
While he was on the run, Prosper would sneak to the homestead and steal food and clothes donations made to Mrs Madiwa and grandchildren by well-wishers.
He stole blankets, beans and maize in her absence.
Mr Madziwa said Prosper also inscribed threatening messages on the walls of Mrs Madiwa’s burnt hut.
He threatened to deal with them accordingly, even if it meant using witchcraft.
Villagers finally hunted him down, effected a citizens’ arrest and handed him over to the police.
