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Lindani Dube Hwange Court Correspondent
A 39-YEAR-OLD Hwange man appeared in court yesterday for beating up his wife’s friend for demanding a $1.
Fred Kayanda of Makwika village pleaded guilty to assault before Hwange resident Portia Mhlanga and was remanded in custody to Monday.
Kayanda told the court that he assaulted Daphyne Sibanda because she tore President Mugabe’s poster at his house.
“I beat her up because she tore a poster of mdhara wangu, Mugabe, he is my old man, I love him. She is a bad influence to my wife and I had told Ivy not to be in her company.

“When I told her to leave my house she insulted me about my private parts,” he said.
He added, “I was pushed by the devil to commit the offence. I didn’t want Daphyne to come to my house.”
In mitigation, Kayanda said he was sick.

“I’m not in good health, I’m only taking cassava leaves as food and need to take care of my children up until they are in grade seven,” he said.

However, prosecutors said he had assaulted Sibanda over a $1.
For the state, Memory Munsaka said on July 5 at around 8.50PM, Sibanda went to Kayanda’s wife, Ivy, who was cleaning her yard, to collect her $1 change.

Ivy called Kayanda who was inside the house but when he came out he told Sibanda to go away before strangling her.
“He strangled Daphyne and assaulted her with fists and open hands on the face several times before pushing her,” said Munsaka.

She fell on the rocky ground and sustained a gush on the left eye.
It emerged in court that in October 28, 2010, Kayanda, a repeat offender, was fined $50 and had a five-year suspended sentence for assault.