Gambiza Jailed 15 Years for Brutal Beer Bottle Murder

By Dumisani Ndlovu

Gweru - A 21-year-old man from Mberengwa was on Tuesday, January 20, sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for murder, after a brutal beer-fuelled assault outside a Zvishavane night club late in 2025.

Sitting on circuit in Gweru, Bulawayo High Court Judge, Justice Munamato Mutevedzi, found the accused guilty of murdering 28-year-old Artwell Ncube.

Gambiza was charged with murder as defined in section 47(1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23].

The court heard that on the night of 19 August 2025, at around  1am, Gambiza, the deceased and Fungai Kuboya, who remains at large, were drinking beer at Red Parrot Nite Club in Zvishavane.

After the beer they were sharing ran out, Gambiza asked Ncube to buy more alcohol.

When Ncube attempted to re-enter the club to purchase beer, he was denied entry by security guard, Fungai Mvundla due to intoxication.

An altercation then erupted after Gambiza demanded the money from Ncube, who refused.

Gambiza subsequently lured Ncube to a secluded open space outside the club, where he struck him once on the right eyebrow with an empty beer bottle.

Kuboya joined the assault, hitting Ncube on the back of the head with another empty bottle.

Ncube collapsed, became unconscious and bled profusely as the two assailants fled the scene.

Mvundla testified that he later received reports from patrons that a man had been assaulted outside the club.

He found Ncube lying face-down, bleeding and struggling to breathe.

Police were summoned and Ncube was rushed to Zvishavane Hospital, where he later died while receiving treatment.

Police officer, Confare Madawo, who attended the scene, told the court that Ncube had visible injuries on the right eyebrow and the back of the head, with broken beer bottle fragments scattered nearby.

The deceased’s body was later transferred to United Bulawayo Hospitals for post-mortem.

Government medical officer, Dr Sanganai Pesanai, conducted the post-mortem on the 21st of August 2025 and concluded that Ncube died from extensive subarachnoid haemorrhage, multiple skull fractures and severe head injury.

Investigations led to Gambiza’s arrest on 21 August 2025. CID Detective Charles Vheza testified that the accused made indications at the crime scene and later gave a warned and cautioned statement, which was witnessed by Detective Constable Majere.

In handing down sentence, Justice Mutevedzi described the attack as vicious and senseless, noting that the accused had used a lethal weapon on a defenceless victim over a trivial dispute.

The court also considered Gambiza’s youth, 19 years at the time of the offence, and being a first offender, but ruled that the gravity of the crime warranted a lengthy custodial sentence.