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Plaxcedes Hove Court Reporter
A BULAWAYO woman allegedly went berserk and bashed her 82-year-old grandmother with a hammer after the old woman evicted her from her house.

The woman told Western Commonage provincial magistrate Willard Maphios Moyo that she had been possessed by evil spirits when she committed the crime.

Egnes Ngwenya, 82, is in the Intensive Care Unit at Mpilo Central Hospital following Saturday’s vicious attack by Nomathemba Msebele, 32.

Msebele is facing an attempted murder charge.

She wasn’t asked to plead and was remanded in custody to December 29.

The magistrate advised Msebele to apply for bail at the High Court.

Prosecuting, Kingstone Mkanganwi said Msebele intended to kill Ngwenya.

“Msebele attacked Ngwenya with a hammer and assaulted her on the head several times and she is fighting for her life in hospital,” he said.

The court heard that on Saturday at around 1AM, Msebele had a misunderstanding with Ngwenya.

Msebele allegedly went haywire and assaulted Ngwenya with a hammer several times on the head.

Ngwenya sustained deep cuts all over the head and she is in a critical condition in hospital due to the assault.

A medical report was produced in court as an exhibit.

Though she wasn’t asked to plead, Msebele blamed evil spirits for what she did.

“I didn’t mean to do what I did; it’s just an evil spirit that came over me. I don’t know how it happened but I was angry and couldn’t control myself.

“She had told me to vacate her premises and I had nowhere to go with my three-month-old baby,” she said.

Msebele added that Ngwenya took her in when she was a baby and took care of her.

“Granny took me in when I was seven days old, why would she want to chase me out of her house? I just lost it and attacked her with a hammer when she told me to vacate her house,” she said.