When the heaker

GWERU — A nurse is supposed to be a symbol of care, a beacon of hope to the sick, the weak, and the vulnerable. In Lower Gweru’s Shagari business centre, that symbol has been brutally inverted.

The jailing of Tumbire Clinic nurse Henry Mathumbu, who nearly hacked local villager Mbonisi Mlando to death with a machete, has left the community shaken and searching for answers.
On 15 August, Regional Magistrate Christopher Maturure sentenced Mathumbu to five years in prison. This came after the versatile Public Prosecutor, Monica Mungwena satisfied the court that the accused committed the crime. In her submission for aggravation, the soft spoken prosecutor, described the Mathumbu’s conduct as a calculated and violent betrayal of the trust society places in its healers. Her submission was firm: the courts cannot look away when life-givers become life-takers.
Prosecutor Mungwena had called the attack “a savage assault,” and even the bench seemed troubled by the image of a man of medicine turning into an agent of harm.
In submitting his oral mitigation, the accused, Mathumbu’s lawyer Esau Mandipa said the “The accused is a first time offender and has lived a morally blameless life for the past 50 years, hence deserve a lenient sentence.
Mandipa said his client was employed as a civil servant, after having been convicted it was obvious that he will lose his employment which he said is a form of punishment, hence praying for a presumptive sentence.
Delivering the verdict the clear spoken senior Magistrate Maturure said “The accused, aged 51 was dragged in this court facing the crime of attempted murder. The state alleged that on the 27th of May 2025 at Tumbire Clinic, the accused attacked the complainant with a machete. A witness, Goodwill Sibanda told this honourable court that the complainant was taken to Maboleni Police Station base before ferried to Gweru Provincial Hospital,”he said.
The magistrate emphasised that attempted murder is a serious offence which carried a presumptive penalty of five years when committed in aggravation and a presumptive penalty of 24 month when committed mitigatory circumstances.
“On 28 May 2025, the complainant was examined by a competent medical doctor who observed three lacerations, with one cut having 2cm laceration, another 5cm, penetrating wound and laceration on the left hand. Although the injuries were observed as moderate and have no potential permanent disability, these were described as serious injuries,” said Maturure.
He noted that in his victim impact statement, the complainant stated that he has not fully recovered and is no longer able to fend for his family.

“However the offender did not committed the crime from the blues, he was offended by the complainant who evaded his private property. And finally like what the accused defence council rightfully said, the offender will lose his job, which is another form of punishment,” he said.
Magistrate Maturure said people should not resolve misunderstandings by violence means.

“In passing the sentence, the court weighs both the aggravation and mitigatory aspect and as rightfully said by the accused’ s defence counsel, by virtue of the conviction the accused lost his job, which is a form of punishment,” Magistrate Maturure said.

“It has come to the attention of this court that the accused doesn’t value life. Considering the mitigatory nature of the crime, the court will not go above the presumptive penalty. Hence he accused is sentenced to five years in prison. Two years is suspended on condition that he does not committee similar offence in the next five years failure. If he does committee a similar crime within five years the suspended sentence will be considered,” said the magistrate replacing a little smile with a tough expression.

Yet when the gavel came down, emotions in the courtroom and across Shagari were far from simple. Some villagers breathed a sigh of relief that justice had finally been served after months of anxiety and public outrage. Others felt the sentence was too light for a man who left his victim with three deep wounds across his head, back, and limbs.