Two women accused of launching a violent wig-snatching spree at a Doek & Slay event in Harare have appeared in court facing four counts of assault.
Nancy Murinye, 30, and Rosylin Luwizhi, 25, were accused of attacking revellers during the final moments of the popular all-women show at Glamis Arena on Sunday night. The pair allegedly bit several women on the face, fingers, elbows, nose, cheek and ear while attempting to take their wigs and weaves.
The incidents were said to have taken place as the event was drawing to a close, with the accused allegedly moving through the crowd and targeting women who were making their way around the venue. The attacks left some of the complainants with visible injuries, while one woman was forced to surrender her wig after being bitten.
Murinye and Luwizhi appeared before Harare magistrate Ruth Moyo. They were each granted US$150 bail and are due to return to court on September 3.
The court heard that the first incident occurred at about 8pm when Florence Svovera was attending the show and walking towards the toilets. Prosecutor Takudzwa Jambabwu told the court that she was approached by the two accused women.
Luwizhi allegedly grabbed Svovera’s wig and forcibly removed it before pushing her to the ground. When Svovera resisted, Luwizhi allegedly bit her on the face and right middle finger. Murinye was accused of biting her on the right elbow during the struggle.
The attack reportedly continued until Svovera gave up the wig. The alleged assault left the complainant facing two women who appeared determined to take the hairpiece by force, turning what should have been the closing stage of a music and entertainment event into a frantic confrontation.
A second complainant, Sharmaine Tumbawi, was also allegedly attacked at about the same time. The court heard that Murinye and Luwizhi, together with another accomplice who remains unidentified and is still at large, grabbed Tumbawi in the crowded venue.
Luwizhi allegedly pushed Tumbawi to the ground and bit her on the nose. Murinye and the unidentified accomplice allegedly fled from the scene, while Luwizhi remained behind and continued holding on to the complainant.
Tumbawi sustained a deep cut to her nose in the incident. The injury added to concerns among revellers as the event approached its end, when many people would have been leaving the arena or moving towards the exits and other facilities inside the venue.
The third alleged attack took place at about 9pm and involved Sandra Marufu. According to the court proceedings, Marufu was attending the same event when the accused women approached and grabbed her.
Luwizhi allegedly tried to remove Marufu’s weave. Marufu held on to it, prompting a struggle between the two women. Luwizhi then allegedly bit Marufu on the left ear, causing injuries.
In the fourth incident, Chido Milanzi was allegedly drawn into an altercation while trying to restrain the accused women during a misunderstanding involving her sister. The court heard that Luwizhi allegedly bit Milanzi on the left cheek and ear. Milanzi was left with injuries to her left ear.
The complainants later reported the incidents to the police. The reports led to the arrest of Murinye and Luwizhi and brought the alleged biting attacks before the courts.
The violence was unusual for Doek & Slay, a women-focused entertainment event known for bringing large crowds together for music, dancing and socialising. The alleged attacks were not linked to one disagreement alone. Instead, the four counts presented in court described a series of confrontations involving different women during the same evening.
The alleged wig and weave thefts also created a dramatic backdrop to the assaults. Hairpieces can be expensive and are often a significant part of a person’s appearance at social events. In the incidents described in court, the attempts to remove them allegedly became physical struggles, with the complainants being pushed, grabbed or bitten when they resisted.
Hulengende faced allegations of fraud and assault connected to complaints brought by two people. The fraud complaint was linked to Munyaradzi Matanhaura. The musician was taken into custody over the weekend after appearing at the event, where he had performed before the arrest drama unfolded.
The complaints against Hulengende were later withdrawn during vetting, allowing him to walk free. The withdrawal of the complaints brought the separate case to an end at that stage, while the assault case involving Murinye and Luwizhi remained before the Harare courts.
The two cases placed renewed attention on incidents surrounding the event, which had otherwise drawn revellers for its music and party atmosphere. Police action followed reports from complainants in both matters, although the outcomes were different: Hulengende was released after the complaints were withdrawn, while Murinye and Luwizhi were granted bail and ordered to return to court.
For the four women named in the assault case, the closing moments of the show ended in injury rather than celebration. Svovera was allegedly bitten while trying to keep hold of her wig, Tumbawi suffered a cut to her nose, Marufu was allegedly bitten on the ear during a struggle over her weave, and Milanzi was injured while attempting to restrain the women during a family-related misunderstanding.
Murinye and Luwizhi will now face the next stage of the proceedings on September 3, when the matter returns before the Harare magistrates’ court.