Crimes of passion fuel Midlands murder cases-High Court Judge
By Dumisani Ndlovu
High Court Judge, Justice Evangelista Kabasa on Monday expressed concern over the rate at which crimes of passion are rising and fuel murder cases.
This came after the high Court Gweru circuit is presiding over 25 percent of murder Cases emanating from gender-based violence (GBV) which the High Court Gweru circuit handled last year.
Addressing the gathering at the official opening of the 2024 Legal Year at the Gweru, High Court Judge Justice Evangelista Kabasa
said out of the 55 murder cases that the Circuit dealt with last year, 14 were as a result of GBV, figures which reflect the ugly face of gender-based violence in the Midlands province and the country as a whole.
Justice Kabasa said GBV remains one of the most prevalent forms of human rights violations globally that needs concerted efforts to stop it.
“The current circuit court has a total 18 cases and 4 of these are as a result of gender-based violence. This is a worrying trend as it shows a 25 and 22 percent occurrence rate,” she said.
Judge Justice Kabasa said the right to life is a fundamental human right which is enshrined in Section 48 of the Zimbabwean Constitution and society should respect the sanctity of life.
“Women have been killed by those who vowed to love and cherish them,” said Justice Kabasa, adding there is need for society to compliment the efforts of the government to eradicate GBV, taking into consideration that violence does not solve issues.
Justice Kabasa also expressed concern at the upsurge in armed robberies during the course of some of which innocent lives have been lost, with credit going to law enforcement agents for accounting for some of the perpetrators’ of the heinous acts.
She as well expressed concern at the rise in the abuse of drugs and alcohol by the youth, urging peddlers of the harmful substances to introspect on the harm that they inflicting on the future leaders of the country.
“Drugs are mind-bending resulting in our youths exhibiting psychotic behaviour which has seen our mental health institutions over-stretched and failing to cope with the numbers of those requiring psychiatric help,” she said.
The is need, Justice Kabasa said, for parents, guardians and members of the public to compliment efforts that law enforcement agents are making to end the scourge by exposing drug barons.
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