A HIGH Court judge has raised a red flag over treatment of mental patients who are dumped by relatives after committing serious crimes.
High Court judge Justice Philda Muzofa made the call after she was forced to commit a Kariba man to the Harare Prison after he killed a neighbour in 2020.
John Matibilila from Matibilila village in Chief Negande, Siakobvu, was arrested in June 2020 after he fatally assaulted Timoti Lunga with an iron bar.
Psychiatric evaluations conducted at Chikurubi Maximum Prison concluded that Matibilila was suffering from a mental illness when he committed the crime.
Matibilila was released into the custody of his relatives who refused to accommodate him.
Justice Muzofa said Matibilila’s case was one of many that the court had dealt with demonstrating how people with mental disabilities lack support and care from even family.
“We were advised that the accused’s brother who took care of him had passed away. The accused’s wife and his only child had deserted him sometime back when the mental illness presented,” she said.
The authorities eventually located his brother’s son, Sanders, in Bumi Hills.
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Sanders reportedly refused to take care of Matibilila through an affidavit arguing that he was a “a threat to the community” and “mentally challenged”.
“There is already a stereotype that he might commit the same offence. The fears are well-founded. The accused’s medical history shows that he is a well-known mental patient who defaulted on his medication and relapsed.
“The fact that the accused is a well-known mental patient shows that members of the public generally do not know how to deal with mental patients.
“This calls for concerted efforts by all stakeholders that deal with mental health issues to widely disseminate information on mental health.”
Justice Muzofa said the public must have basic knowledge on how to identify basic signs of a mental disorder and what to do.
She said there must be room for members of the public to alert the nearest police or clinic so that proper medical procedures could be activated before crimes are committed.
“It is high time mental health issues were prioritised in view of the increased number of such cases. The court is not inclined to release him to nowhere.
“He requires care and monitoring to continue taking his medication. He has already defaulted and may be a danger to society,” Justice Muzofa said.
It was the State’s case at the High Court that the Matibilila family members were gathered at Robson Matibilila’s homestead and Lunga, who was also present left for his home around 10pm.
Matibilila, who was armed with an iron bar, allegedly followed Lunga who was singing at the top of his voice and struck him several times at the back of the head.
The court heard that Robson Munsaka, who was also among the gathering, heard the commotion before people rushed to the scene.
The villagers reportedly found Lunga lying unconscious along the road while Matibilila was at the scene.
The case was reported to the police the following morning.
Lunga’s body was taken to hospital where a post mortem concluding that death was due to severe head injury.
Matibilila was subsequently admitted to Chikurubi Psychiatric Unit where a forensic psychiatric nurse examined him in July last year.
It was also concluded that Matibilila was suffering from schizophrenia and needed treatment for the condition.
The State recommended Matibilila’s discharge from Chikurubi Psychiatric Unit to the Attorney-General’s Office.
