Masvingo Bureau
A 37-year-old visually impaired Gutu man assaulted a primary school head he accused of excluding his brother’s children from getting school fees assistance under the government’s Basic Education Assistance Model (Beam) programme.

Innocent Mharadze of Vazuka Village in Gadzingo communal lands assaulted Chidembo Primary School headmaster Mr Frackson Mukaro with his walking stick.
This was after tempers flared during a meeting at the school to discuss how beneficiaries of the Beam programme were selected.
Mharadze appeared before Gutu resident magistrate Mr Nyasha Vitorini, who convicted him on his own plea before warning him and setting him free.

Mharadze had begged the court to be lenient on him on the grounds that he was visually impaired and survived on begging.
He had been remanded in custody the previous day after his trial failed to take place after he became violent in court.
He shouted obscenities while protesting that his rights were being violated by being brought to court.

Prosecutor Ms Agatha Gabriel said on March 20 this year Mharadze went to Chidembo Primary School in his home area and confronted Mr Mukaro, accusing him of having excluded his brother’s two children from benefiting under Beam.
Mr Mukaro explained to him that it was the school development committee which selected those who benefited under Beam and not him.

The following day, Mharadze returned to the school where the School Development Committee         was meeting in the headmaster’s office.
Mharadze, who was accompanied by his wife, was told in the meeting that his brother’s children could not benefit under Beam, since the brother was neither late nor suffering from any form of disability.

This did not go down well with him and he became violent, hitting Mr Mukaro with his walking stick.
He took a chair and hit him again while at the same time shouting obscenities at him.

Mharadze’s wife saved Mr Mukaro from further assault after she restrained him, prompting the meeting between Mr Mukaro and the School Development Committee to end prematurely.
A report was made to the police.