BULAWAYO – A murder trial at the Bulawayo High Court was briefly halted after a stray cat wandered into the courtroom, disrupted proceedings with loud cries and resisted repeated attempts to remove it.
The unusual incident occurred during a special sitting of the High Court on June 3 while the court was hearing the murder case of 19-year-old Bright Tshuma of Nkulumane, Bulawayo.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), the brown stray cat slowly entered the courtroom and began emitting what prosecutors described as a “mournful, ear-piercing wail”, forcing the presiding judge to adjourn proceedings temporarily.
“The judge had to take a brief adjournment, instructing that the police attend to the cat that was continuously crying,” NPAZ said in its June 5 bulletin.
What followed was a comical but disruptive scene as four police officers, four prison officers and a caretaker reportedly struggled to remove the animal from the courtroom.
The disturbance attracted members of the public who gathered at the courtroom entrance to watch the unfolding drama.
According to prosecutors, the growing crowd appeared to agitate the animal further, causing it to dart from behind the accused person’s dock to the judge’s bench.
“The cat neatly tucked itself under the judge’s bench and responded in a hostile manner to further attempts made to remove it,” NPAZ said.
After efforts to remove the animal failed, court officials abandoned the courtroom and transferred the proceedings to another court.
“It was successful in its hostile takeover of the courtroom, which was then abandoned and the matter continued to be heard in a different courtroom,” the prosecution authority said.
The incident occurred during the trial of Tshuma, who was accused of fatally stabbing a man with what prosecutors described as a Colombia CCCP AK47 knife.
Despite the interruption, the trial was concluded and Tshuma was convicted of murder following a full trial.
He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.
