Judge hands down sentences to brother and sister for killing their mother using a pounding stick

A 38 year old man of Insomnia area in Masaiti has been sentenced to death, while his 17 year old sister has been sent to a reformatory by the Ndola High court for murdering their mother using a pounding stick on suspicions that she was a witch.

Judge Mary Mulanda convicted the duo on grounds that she was satisfied that they acted together in murdering their mother following their discussion that she was behind the deaths in the family.

Caphas Kaniki, and the juvenile offender, on February 8, 2015, in Masaiti, did murder Robina Mwaba.

“I find Kaniki and the juvenile offender, guilty of murder, and accordingly, i return the verdict of murder without extenuating circumstances. Kaniki shall hang by the neck until he dies.”

“As for the juvenile,I order that she should undergo reformation at Nsakwe Approved school in Ndola in accordance with the juveniles’ act,” Ms Justice Mulanda said.

During trial, the court heard that Kaniki had a meeting with his siblings and planned on how to harm their mother as he believed that she was the one who had bewitched his deceased children and that she was the one causing her children to have bad luck as Kaniki had a lot of un cleared debts with people.

The court also heard that the juvenile participated in the killing of her mother when she aided Kaniki to go and get a pounding stick with which he used to kill Ms Mwaba because she was sick at the time and she believed that her mother was behind her illness.
But in her defence, the juvenile offender told the court that she agreed to go and pick the pounding stick because she believed that it was always good to obey elders when send and that she only did that as per instructions from Kaniki.

And when asked as to why she did not scream for help when she saw her mother being pounded to death, the juvenile offender told the court that Kaniki had ordered her to remain silent about everything.

But Ms Justice Mulanda said: I have considered the evidence on record and there is evidence on record that the juvenile offender aided and abetted in the beating of her mother by her brother as it was suspected that her illness was caused by her. I strongly believe that she participated in commissioning the offence as she was sick at the time. She assisted in knocking on her mother’s door. Furthermore, Kaniki used a pounding stick procured in killing her mother, who sustained broken arms.”

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