The Bulawayo High Court has granted bail pending appeal to a member of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) who was jailed for two years for severely assaulting his twelve-year-old son on New Year’s Eve.
Khulumani Nkomo (38) an Army Sergeant, the court heard, assaulted his son because he has made a thin switch for herding cattle.
The court heard he used the switch to assault his son all over the body as they made their way to the fields.
He was convicted of physical abuse by Lupane Magistrate Ndumo Masuku and sentenced to 24 months in prison, who suspended four months of the sentence for five years on condition of good behaviour.
The soldier then approached the High Court seeking bail after filing papers appealing against his sentence.
High Court Judge Justice Nokuthula Moyo on Wednesday granted the soldier $500 bail.
Justice Moyo ordered the soldier to report to Hwange Police Station once a week and to maintain peace with his wife and child until the appeal is finalised.
According to the State papers, on January 1 and at Mzola Village in Jotsholo, the soldier was on his way to the fields with his wife and son when he questioned the son why he had made a thin switch to control the cattle.
He used an axe he was carrying to cut a switch from the nearby trees which he used to beat up his child over the body.
The State further heard that the son fled and sought refuge at his grandmother’s homestead.
The child sustained bruises on the head, neck, ear and elbow. The soldier’s wife reported the matter to the police leading to his arrest.
The son was taken to St Lukes hospital for medical attention.
