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Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Court Reporter
A BULAWAYO teenager who killed a pregnant woman after robbing her of her cell phone and handbag containing $2 has been sentenced to 20 years in jail.

Tinashe Siziba (19) of Pumula South was arrested after he sold a mobile phone he had stolen to a neighbour.

Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Martin Makonese convicted Siziba of murder in connection with the death of Patronella Zimende (24).

Prosecuting, Ms Nokuthaba Ngwenya said on March 19 this year shortly after 8PM, Zimende dropped off from a commuter omnibus and walked home using a road linking Makoni shopping centre and her house.

The court heard that Zimende was spotted by Siziba who was coming from the opposite direction.

“Siziba hatched a plan to rob Zimende. He armed himself with a stone and ran past the deceased before he later made a U-turn and followed her. When Zimende noticed that she was being followed, she screamed as she took to her heels,” said Ms Ngwenya.

Siziba pursued Zimende and struck her at the back of the head, cracking her skull and she fell down and lost consciousness. The court heard that the teenager took Zimende’s handbag and fled to a secluded area where he searched it.

“He searched the bag and took a T-shirt, a Nokia Lumia cell phone with an Econet line and $2. The accused dumped the handbag near a stream and went home,” said Ms Ngwenya.

Zimende regained consciousness and staggered home, about 500 metres away from the scene of the crime.

She collapsed soon after getting home before she could narrate her ordeal to her uncle, Mr Best Ntini.

Zimende was taken to the United Bulawayo Hospitals where she was admitted in the intensive care unit under life support. She died on March 22.

According to the post mortem report, the cause of death was due to severe cerebral oedema, skull fracture and head trauma.

On May 17 detectives arrested Bhekinkosi Gumbo of Magwegwe who was using the stolen phone and he revealed that he bought it from Siziba leading to his arrest.

Although Siziba in his warned and cautioned statement admitted to killing Zimende and robbing the woman of her belongings, he later denied committing the crime through his lawyers Coghlan and Welsh Legal Practitioners.

@mashnets