Midlands Correspondent
Bulawayo High Court Judge Justice Naison Chivayo has raised concern over the growing number of Zimbabweans losing their lives in violent confrontations triggered by trivial disagreements, love triangles and domestic disputes.
Presiding over the official opening of the third term of the Gweru High Court Circuit on Monday, Justice Chivayo decried the loss of life across Midlands Province, where 35 murder cases are scheduled for trial during the first week of the two-week sitting.
Justice Chivayo said the number of murder cases before the court was disturbing, particularly because many of the fatalities appeared to have resulted from disputes that could have been resolved without violence.
He urged members of the public to avoid taking the law into their own hands and instead use peaceful means to settle disputes.
Justice Chivayo encouraged communities to make greater use of mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), while urging people to seek police intervention when conflicts threaten to turn violent.
“People must appreciate that the reason why the Zimbabwe Republic Police exists is to maintain law and order,” he said.
“Our people need to move away from the use of violence to resolve disputes.”
The dangers of allowing confrontations to escalate were highlighted in one of the cases heard on the opening day.
Justice Chivayo said there were cases in which the deceased had been the initial aggressors and had escalated minor disagreements into fatal encounters.
“It is disheartening to note that in all the cases I have dealt with since this morning, the deceased persons were the aggressors,” he said.
The judge cautioned, however, that although the law recognises the right to self-defence, the force used must be reasonable and proportionate to the threat faced.
In one case, Mpumelelo Ncube of Zhombe, who had initially faced a murder charge, was convicted of culpable homicide after fatally stabbing an attacker.
The court took into account the circumstances of the incident, including severe provocation and the time Ncube had spent in remand, before sentencing him to three years in prison.
One year of the sentence was suspended on condition of good behaviour.
Justice Chivayo called for greater self-restraint and a change in attitudes towards conflict, warning that seemingly minor disputes can have irreversible consequences.
With cases from across Midlands continuing to come before the circuit, the judge urged members of the public to think twice before resorting to violence and to prioritise dialogue and peaceful dispute resolution.
Figures from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) show that homicide-related offences remain a significant problem, with quarterly cases rising from 1,027 to 1,183, representing a 15.2 percent increase.
The ZIMSTAT breakdown shows that non-intentional homicides accounted for 456 cases in a single quarter, compared with 362 cases of intentional homicide.
The figures highlight the deadly consequences of violent confrontations, including those arising from domestic disputes and other altercations.
National police statistics have also previously highlighted the number of deaths arising from personal disputes, including conflicts over relationships, debts and other disagreements.
