A drunk man from Bulawayo who caused a scene during a social soccer tournament in Iminyela suburb after he ran berserk and destroyed vending stalls with an axe as well as foodstuffs that were being sold has been jailed.
Lovemore Phiri (37) who appeared before Western Commonage Court magistrate Shepherd Mnjanja facing two counts of malicious damage to property was sentenced to 30 months in jail.
Four months were suspended on condition that he does not commit a similar offence within a period of five years.
Another 10 months was suspended on condition that he restitutes the complainants the value of destroyed property.
Phiri will rue the day he chose to commit the crime as he will serve an effective 16 months behind bars.
The court heard that on the day in question a heavily intoxicated Phiri brewed trouble for himself when he arrived at a ground where a social soccer tournament was under way and headed to the vendors who were selling food.
When he got there he demanded something to eat from them claiming he was hungry.
The vendors turned down his request and that didn’t go down well with him and he started insulting them.
Some of the vendors tried to calm him down but he immediately ran amok and confronted one of them Uriam Ncube (29) and struck her mobile vending stall with an axe and her foodstuffs were destroyed in the process.
After that he confronted another vendor Brilliant Moyo (36) and slapped her once before forcefully seizing her container with hot chips.
In a fit of rage he threw it on the ground and struck it several times with an axe leaving chips strewn all over the ground.
After that Phiri disappeared from the scene.
Ncube and Moyo reported the matter to the police leading to Phiri’s arrest.
— BMetro
