MHANGURA, Zimbabwe — A village head has been sentenced to six years in prison for killing a 75-year-old man during a dispute over chickens given to a traditional healer. The Chinhoyi High Court convicted Clemence Chikazhi of culpable homicide, with two years of the sentence suspended.

Justice Philda Muzofa ruled that Chikazhi fatally attacked Philip Mashava on July 24 at Dugeni shopping centre after an argument erupted over chickens Mashava had paid to a traditional healer known as tsikamutanda.

The confrontation began inside a shop when Mashava demanded Chikazhi refund the chickens. Witnesses testified that Chikazhi grabbed Mashava by the collar before following him outside, where he struck the elderly man with his fists, kicked him with boots, and hit him with a brick.

“Ostane was candid in our view,” Justice Muzofa said in her ruling. “He saw the accused kicking the deceased and striking him with a brick after finding him on the ground.”

Medical evidence showed Mashava died from massive cerebral edema at Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital after being initially treated at Makonde Christian Hospital.

The court found that while Chikazhi lacked intention to kill, he acted negligently in assaulting Mashava. “The deceased could have sustained the fatal injury when he fell on his back and hit his head on some hard surface,” Justice Muzofa noted.

Witness Willard Mubatapasango testified that he arrested Chikazhi after receiving an attempted murder report. The accused admitted to grabbing Mashava’s collar but denied the more serious assault charges.

The conviction on the lesser charge of culpable homicide rather than murder means the village head will serve an effective four-year sentence, with two years suspended on condition of good behavior.

The case has highlighted tensions over the role of traditional healers in rural Zimbabwe, where they continue to hold significant influence in local communities.