Court imprison man 19 years for removing boy’s privates for ritual

Nkhunga First Grade Magistrate (FGM) Court in Nkhotakota on Friday convicted and sentenced 42 year old Rangerson Mashikudu to 19 years imprisonment with hard labour (IHL) for removing private body parts of 18 year old boy (name withheld).

The State, through Inspector Wills Asibu, heard that on August 30, last year (2016) the suspect and his friend, Norman Maxwell Mandix, took the victim into the cane fields of Illovo’s Dwangwa Estate in Nkhotakota where they jointly chopped off the victim’s private body parts.

“As if that was not enough, the suspects also went away with the victim’s bicycle. They were later arrested by police.

“Mandix and Mashikudu were charged with three counts, thus unlawful removal of tissue from body of a living person, contrary to Section 18 of Anatomy Act, grievous harm and robbery with violence, contrary to Sections 238 and 301 of the Penal Code respectively,” said the inspector.

Mandix had earlier on pleaded guilty to all the three counts and was given a 14 year jail term while Mashikudu who pleaded not guilty was slapped with more years after the court paraded seven witnesses against him.

After proving the three charges beyond reasonable doubt, the court convicted Mashikudu on all the three counts.

In mitigation the accused asked the court for leniency, saying he looked after his children.

But presiding over the case, FGM Kingsley Buleya, echoed the state witness’ sentiments that the convict deserves stiffer punishment bearing in mind that the victim had suffered permanent deformity and as such, it would be difficult for him to get married.

“The court therefore, orders you to serve 14 years for the first count, two years for the second count and three years for the third count. The cases will run consecutively,” ruled Buleya.

Mashikudu hails from Nduwa Village in Traditional Authority Mlolo in Nsanje District.

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