An elderly couple in Bulawayo is living in fear due to the abuse inflicted on them by their 36-year-old son, Mlamuli Tshuma.
Tshuma, who has been living in South Africa for the past 20 years, recently returned home sick.
In an incident last week, Tshuma beat his 78-year-old mother, Neethur Lusinga, leading to her needing 16 stitches in her head at Mpilo Hospital.
Lusinga’s 81-year-old husband is a pensioner who used to be a teacher in several schools in Matabeleland and Bulawayo.
When a CITE news crew visited the couple on Monday, they only found Lusinga, who narrated how their son assaulted her together with her husband while demanding money from them to go back to South Africa.
“He was beating his father saying he wants money to go to South Africa, I asked him where he will get the money as the pension money is very little,” Lusinga said.
“While his father was still trying to explain to him that he gets RTGs, and the little United States dollar that he gets is the one he uses to buy us food, he started clapping him. There was a knobkerrie near the door, I picked it trying to beat him but I didn’t manage. He quickly took it away from me and hit me with it on my head.”
Lusinga couldn’t hide the pain in her eyes as she constantly held back tears while narrating their ordeal.
She revealed that their son only returned home when he was gravely sick after spending 20 years in South Africa.
“I didn’t even receive a single cent of his money,” she said. “He spent 20 years in South Africa, he only came here when he was very sick. For two years I nursed him but now he is better and turning against us. He demands money to go back to South Africa.”
She said her son was arrested and is currently incarcerated at the Bulawayo Prison.
“We went there on Saturday,” she said. “They told us to go to West Commonage. When we got there, we were told that the prison vehicles had broken down hence they couldn’t come to court. They then told us that they would send a police officer to update us. He should just stay there in Grey Prison. I no longer care anymore.”
Lusinga said she fears that if her son remains in the country, he will further assault them when he comes out of prison.
“I fear that when he is around, he will beat us accusing us of sending him to prison,” she said. “What will happen to us? We might die. If I had money I was going to give him so that he goes back.”
Meanwhile, she said she is failing to go to Mpilo Hospital to collect a doctor’s letter which is needed in court.
“At the moment I can’t even afford to go to Mpilo hospital,” she said. “I am unable to walk. My neighbours who want to help me have no fuel. For him to appear in court, I must go to Mpilo Hospital and get a doctor’s letter.”
