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Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
A FIGTREE man has been sentenced to six months in jail for scalding and beating up his young brother for cooking food in dirty pots.
Abednico Ndebele, 21, suffered minor burns on the mouth and lost a tooth as a result of the attack.His brother Dzidzo Ncube, 29, appeared before Plumtree magistrate Livard Philemon facing assault charges.

Ncube told the court that he wanted to teach his brother to maintain cleanliness.

Prosecuting, Stanley Chinyanganya said Ncube attacked Ndebele after he found him preparing food on August 20.

“The complainant had put a pot with water on the fire and went to collect mealie-meal and upon returning he discovered that Ndebele had removed the pot from the fire.

“The complainant returned the pot on the fire and demanded to know why he had removed it,” he said.

The court heard that Ncube lashed out at Ndebele for using a dirty pot to prepare their food.

He allegedly kicked him on the mouth and knocked out Ndebele’s tooth with a metal kitchen plate.

Ncube then picked up the pot which had boiling water and threw it towards Ndebele’s face. The complainant managed to duck but some of the water landed on his face and he sustained burns on his mouth.

The pair was working at a farm in Figtree area where they were also staying.

Magistrate Philemon sentenced Ncube to nine months imprisonment of which three months were suspended for five years on condition that he does not within that period commit an offence of a similar nature.

“It was very harsh of you to do something like this to the complainant. You should’ve spoken to him and resolved the dispute instead of hurting him in the manner you did.

“You committed a serious offence and deserve a jail sentence. You did not only hurt the complainant but you went on to rob him of his tooth and you can imagine the pain that you have put him through,” said Philemon.