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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
A REDCLIFF prophet who stabbed a soldier to death following a misunderstanding in a bar, has been sentenced to 15 years in jail.
Akim Chirwa, 27, of Redcliff was convicted of murdering Esdom Mukazi by High Court Judge Justice Martin Makonese, who was on circuit in Gweru on Thursday.

Chirwa had pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder, alleging that Mukazi was stabbed by one of his friends during a scuffle at Burncourt Farm shopping centre on December 13, 2011 around 5PM.

But Justice Makonese said Chirwa was not a credible witness and had lied to the court in a bid to escape punishment.

The State called two State witnesses Rangarirai Mhandiwa and Pilot Meki who both said Chirwa had caused the death of Mukazi who was 25 at the time of the incident.

Mhandiwa told the court that Chirwa had a misunderstanding with one Johnson Dhliwayo while they were at a bottle store in Redcliff.

He said the duo left the bottle store and started fighting.

“They fought outside after which Chirwa ran away after assaulting Johnson Dhliwayo with a metal bar,” said Mhandiwa.

He said Chirwa fled in the direction of the now deceased Mukazi who caught him.

Mhandiwa said before they could reach the place where Chirwa and Mukazi were tussling, they heard Mukazi screaming and shouting that he had been stabbed.

“I then fought Chirwa and sustained a cut on my right palm and at the back. Chirwa then ran away from the scene,” said Mhandiwa.

Meki, however, said he did not see Chirwa stabbing Mukazi.

He said Chirwa and Mukazi had been tussling as Chirwa wanted to escape after assaulting John (Dhliwayo).

“When we were running after Chirwa, we heard the now deceased screaming that he had been stabbed. The accused then ran away into the bush,” said Meki.

In his evidence, Chirwa, a prophet, said when he got into the bottle store, John (Dhliwayo) approached him and started insulting him.

He said John ridiculed him saying faith healers were a problem in that they were not faithful to their spouses.

“I had just separated from my wife and John asked me why we had separated. He then said faith healers were a problem. He removed my spectacles from my face, tossed them to the floor and stamped on them. He then he slapped me on the cheek,” said Chirwa.

He said they went out of the bar and John continued to assault him before he retaliated and hit him back with a metal bar.

Chirwa said as John was still trying to regain his balance, he sprinted from the scene intending to run away.

“It was then that the deceased approached me and grabbed me from behind. I couldn’t move since he was pinning my hands from the back. So we tussled until John’s friends arrived at the scene,” he said.

Chirwa said he saw Mhandiwa drawing a knife and before he could stab him, he moved to the right.

“That’s when the deceased was stabbed by John,” he said.

In her closing submissions, the prosecutor, Rosa Takuva said Chirwa was lying and was now distancing himself from a sworn statement that was authenticated by a magistrate.

It is the State case that on December 13, 2011 at Burncourt farm, Redcliff, Chirwa stabbed Mukazi with an okapi knife leading to his death.