By Panashe Karidzagundi.
An 18-year-old Beitbridge man who was facing two counts of attempted murder has been acquitted after the State failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Remember “Fabro” Ndou appeared before Regional Magistrate Charity Maphosa at the Beitbridge Regional Court on Wednesday this week where he was found not guilty on both charges.
The charges stemmed from an incident that allegedly occurred on April 4, 2026, at Malala Business Centre in Beitbridge during Easter holiday celebrations.
According to Prosecutor Olivia Chamutinya, Ishmael Ndou (23), Prince Ndou (22), and their companions were celebrating when an altercation broke out after a hand pump was allegedly taken from a scotch cart by Elvis Mbedzi, who remains at large.
The dispute reportedly escalated into a violent attack involving several people.
Chamutinya told the court that Ishmael was assaulted with empty beer bottles and other weapons before losing consciousness, while Prince was struck on the chest with a bench and attacked by other assailants.
Chamutinya accused Remember Ndou of attempting to murder both complainants by assaulting them during the melee.
However, delivering judgment, Maphosa ruled that the prosecution’s evidence was unreliable due to significant contradictions in the witnesses’ testimonies.
The court said the complainants alleged they had been attacked by about seven people in darkness, yet claimed to have identified Remember mainly through his voice.
Maphosa held that the identification evidence was not satisfactory and that the conflicting witness statements created reasonable doubt.
“The statements given by the witnesses are opposing each other, and the identity factors are not satisfactory. The complainants alleged they were beaten by seven people in the dark and recognised the accused by voice from the back. The court has no option but to give the accused the benefit of the doubt,” ruled Maphosa.
Ndou was consequently acquitted on both counts of attempted murder.
Although he was acquitted for the attempted murder case, Ndou is held on remand before for an assault case, which remains before the courts.
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