PRISCA MANYIWA-MASUKU
MIRROR REPORTER

KWEKWE – A Kwekwe City Council employee, Tinashe Arigondiya is lucky to escape prison after he was ordered to pay a fine for striking and killing a fellow imbiber with a brick.
High Court Judge Justice Bongani Ndlovu concluded that Arigondiya acted in self-defence.
Arigondiya struck Finish Mulima (40) at Masasa Business Centre in Kwekwe in 2022 following an argument over beer.
The judge sentenced him to three years in prison and suspended two on condition he does not commit a similar offence in the next five years and one year was set aside on condition he pay a fine of 30 000 ZiG on or before 30 December 2024.
It was noted that Arigondiya was a first offender, he was acting in self- defense and the deceased was armed and had mobilized others to attack the accused.
Arigondiya initially faced the murder charge but this was changed to culpable homicide.
On August 12, 2022, around 8pm, Arigondiya and Mulima were drinking beer with other patrons at Masasa Business Center Bar when Mulima had an altercation with another patron Obert Saint who sipped his beer.
The altercation attracted the attention of other patrons who intervened and calmed the situation and the deceased left.
A few minutes later, the deceased returned armed with a Columbia knife in the company of Chebile Mulimu and Admire Mulimu who were armed with an axe and a beer bottle.
The trio began to attack other patrons including Arigondiya who then retaliated by hitting the now deceased from behind and struck him with a concrete brick on his head.
Mulimu was taken to Kwekwe General Hospital and later transferred to Parirenyatwa where he died on admission on 14 August 2022.
The accused person was represented by his lawyer Brian Muzenda of Hore and Partners.