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Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
A 20-year-old woman severely assaulted her boyfriend’s 93-year-old visually impaired grandmother with a walking stick as she accused the family of failing to support her baby.

Thandolwenkosi Sibanda stormed the old woman’s bedroom hut in Figtree area in Bulilima District at midnight and dumped her four month old baby.

Her boyfriend’s grandmother, Lindeni Maphosa and her daughter, Ntombizile Dube, followed Sibanda intending to give her back her baby.

Sibanda instead grabbed the old woman’s walking stick and used it to assault her.

She was convicted of assault charges by Plumtree magistrate, Livard Philemon and sentenced to a suspended nine months imprisonment.

Six months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour while the remaining three months were suspended on condition that she performs 105 hours of community service at Solusi Primary School.

In passing sentence Philemon said Sibanda was spared jail sentence because of her baby.

“You deserve to be locked up because the offence you committed is serious but because you have a baby, the court decided to be lenient. It was ruthless of you to attack a defenceless old woman for no apparent reason.

He warned Sibanda that she risked being jailed if she committed a similar offence.

Prosecuting, Jane Phiri said Sibanda invaded her in-laws’ homestead on March 1 around 12 midnight.

She said she threw her baby on the floor and returned to her homestead leaving the child behind.

“Sibanda told the complainant that she would not continue looking after her baby while its father and blood relatives were around. She also complained that her baby’s father had abandoned her after being influenced by his relatives,” said Phiri.

She said Maphosa and her daughter took the baby and followed Sibanda to her home with the intention to make peace with her.

Phiri said Sibanda refused to entertain the old woman and instead threatened to assault her.

“The old woman left the baby and went away. Sibanda followed her and took away her walking stick which she used to assault her all over the body,” said Phiri.

She said Sibanda only stopped the assault after Dube who was accompanying Maphosa disarmed her.

Maphosa sustained multiple bruises on her legs and a swollen left hip as a result of the attack. She was referred to hospital.

The matter was reported to police resulting in Sibanda’s arrest.

Sibanda who begged the court to be lenient, said she was angry because her baby’s father was not supporting the baby.