Four Hwange Men Jailed for Assault Over Witchcraft Allegations

08 July 2025

By Nomazulu Sibanda

Four men from Hwange have been convicted and sentenced for assaulting four villagers during a violent altercation sparked by witchcraft accusations in Binga.

The Hwange Magistrate Court heard that the incident took place in May 2025 at Chief Pashu’s homestead, following a traditional hearing on allegations of witchcraft levelled against a community member. Believing that the victims were siding with the accused villager, the four men turned violent.

Emmanuel Mumpande (34) led the attack by striking one of the victims on the forehead with a clenched fist. He was soon joined by Taziba Mumpande (25), Nyasha Magedhi (20), and Luyezho Sibanda (29), who joined in and repeatedly assaulted the victims using fists, open hands, and booted feet.

One of the victims managed to escape and reported the matter to the police, leading to the arrest of the four assailants.

The court treated the four counts of assault as one and sentenced the offenders to 12 months in prison. However, four months of the sentence were suspended on condition that they each perform 280 hours of community service.