Staff Reporter
A Mbizo man is crying foul after the Kwekwe Magistrates’ Court sentenced his attacker to community service, despite allegedly inflicting life-altering injuries during a violent assault over a US$8 debt.
Tatenda Tambureni, who is still recovering from serious injuries to his private parts, says justice was denied when his assailant, Tinomutenda Njubani, was handed what he describes as a lenient sentence.
Tambureni, who visited The Midlands Observer offices struggling to walk, recounted the harrowing incident that occurred following a dispute over US$8. He said Njubani came to his house demanding repayment of the money, and before the conversation could conclude, the situation turned violent.
“This man, Tinomutenda Njubani, came to my house asking for his money — US$8 that I owed him. I told him I didn’t have it at the time, but before I could finish explaining, he attacked me. He tripped me, grabbed my private parts and began slicing them with a knife. I screamed in pain, trying to fight him off, but couldn’t. It was only when my wife intervened that he let go,” said Tambureni.
A medical report compiled by Dr. Matambo at Kwekwe General Hospital on 22 April 2025 confirmed that Tambureni sustained lacerations to both his scrotum and penis, as well as damage to the urethral passage and swelling around the periscrotal junction. The report concluded that the injuries are serious and could result in permanent disability.
Tambureni says the physical injuries have been compounded by emotional trauma and financial hardship.
“I am in constant pain, and whenever the weather changes, it becomes unbearable. I am deeply worried about the possibility that my reproductive system was damaged. I’m still young and I hoped to have more children,” he said.
He added that the cost of medical treatment has plunged him into debt and left him unable to work.
“I’m a builder by profession, but I haven’t been able to work since the attack. My savings are gone and I’m drowning in medical bills. It’s heartbreaking to see my attacker walk away with just community service. To me, this feels like justice denied,” he said.
Tambureni believes a custodial sentence would have sent a stronger message and served as a more fitting consequence for the severity of the assault.
Njubani’s case was concluded at the Kwekwe Magistrates’ Court, where he was sentenced to community service.
