Zimpapers Logo

Cynthia Dube, Court Reporter
A FAMILY of five cheated death when a man from Bubi district allegedly set their bedroom hut on fire while they were asleep.

Mr Public Moyo (45), his wife Ms Sithembiso Sibanda (39) and their three children aged two, three and four years from Siganda village woke up when the roof of their bedroom hut was about to cave in.

A court heard that Norman Mvubu (22) of the same village torched the hut on December 11 last year at around 3AM and went away unnoticed.

Mvubu was angry after Mr Moyo allegedly threatened to kill him with an axe on the previous day for proposing love to his wife.

Mvubu appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Joseph Mabeza facing a count of attempted murder, malicious damage of property and unlawful entry.

He pleaded not guilty and Mr Mabeza remanded him in custody to today.

“I deny the allegations that are levelled against me. I didn’t set their hut on fire. I was asleep at my homestead on that day,” said Mvubu.

Prosecuting, Mr Tinashe Dzipe said: “The complainant was awakened by his wife when the roof of the hut was about to cave in. Mr Moyo and his wife managed to rescue their children and their few belongings,” said Mr Dzipe.

He said on the following day Mr Moyo and his wife discovered shoe prints at the back of their bedroom hut and tracked them with the assistance of other villagers. The shoe prints led them to Mvubu’s homestead and they matched his shoes.

The court heard that the villagers interviewed Mvubu and he confessed to having torched the hut in order to fix Mr Moyo for threatening to kill him.

Mr Dzipe said Mr Moyo reported the matter to the police leading to the arrest of Mvubu.

@cynthiamthembo1