The Livingstone High Court has sentenced a 30-year-old man to death for killing his lover’s husband. This is a case in which Jacob Minyando of B14 Mbabala township in Choma was charged with murder.

On May 10 or 11 this year in Choma, Minyando killed Jasper Kanenga of Simuzele village in Mbabala. Mr Kanenga was found dead in his vehicle, a Mazda Tribune registration BAD 9114, after Minyando hit him with a stick at the back of his head as he was about to enter his car. Minyando then put Mr Kanenga’s body in the car and fled the scene.

Minyando was later arrested following rumours of the animosity between him and Mr Kanenga as they were both threatening to kill each other. In delivering judgment, Judge Charles Zulu said the court earlier heard that Minyando had admitted committing adultery with Mr Kanenga’s wife and the two dialogued over the matter although they never related well again.

The court further heard that Minyando was on April 24 this year fined K13,000 for committing adultery with Mr Kanenga’s wife. Minyando made an initial payment of K2,700 to Mr Kanenga. This followed a meeting which resolved that the charged amount of money be paid to Mr Kanenga to settle the matter. The balance was to be paid in monthly instalments of K400. Judge Zulu said after considering the evidence, the court was satisfied that Minyando killed Kanenga.

He said Mr Kanenga’s body was found in the front passenger seat of his vehicle on Mbabala-Sikwiya road. Judge Zulu said: “The court does not discern any reasons why State witnesses would conspire against the accused person to falsely implicate him.” He said the court concluded that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Judge Zulu said for avoidance of doubt, it was sufficiently safe to establish that the accused was guilty based on the confession he voluntarily and freely gave to the ‘cell captain’ when he was detained at Choma Police Station. “I am satisfied that the accused intently killed the deceased without lawful justification or reasonable excuse.

“Furthermore, I find that the killing of the deceased by the accused was committed in a manner devoid of extenuating circumstances and death was inevitable,” he said. Judge Zulu ordered that Minyando be hanged by the neck until he is pronounced dead and certified so by a medical doctor.