Zimpapers Logo

Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba

Whinsley Masara, Chronicle Reporter
FIVE people have been murdered in two days countrywide, police have confirmed.

National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba expressed concern over the upsurge in murder cases and urged people to desist from taking the law into their hands.

During the month of September and October, close to 20 people were killed in separate murder cases countrywide.

In June, three people were murdered in two days in separate incidents.

In many of these incidents, the suspects fled from the scenes and are still at large.

Senior Asst Comm Charamba said it was disheartening to note that despite efforts by the police and community leaders to educate people about the sanctity of human life, murders continue to take place.

“People have lost respect for life and to support this, five murder cases were recorded in two days, between October 18 and 20 in separate incidents across the country. Cases range from mere understandings, fights over girlfriends and family fights,” said Snr Asst Comm Charamba.

“In Lupane, a Form Five student was struck to death with an axe as he was walking from school in the company of female school mates.

“In another case, a 30-year-old man had an altercation with a taxi driver in Beitbridge and the driver took a brick and struck him on the head. The man died upon admission to hospital,” said Snr Asst Comm Charamba.

In another incident, she said, a 42-year-old man from Borrowdale assaulted his girlfriend using a stick after a misunderstanding over a text message. The girlfriend later died after she complained of a headache and pains from the assault.

Snr Asst Comm Charamba urged people to resolve their differences amicably without resorting to violence by seeking counselling from their local police stations and church elders.

“Members of the public should value the sanctity of human life and ensure that differences are solved peacefully,” she said.

Meanwhile, police in Matabeleland South Province are looking for 18 hardcore criminals that include nine wanted for murder while others are theft and armed robbery suspects.

In one of the incidents that occurred last week, six family members from Insiza District chased a suspected serial rapist into a police base where they allegedly stabbed him to death.

The deceased had allegedly raped and stabbed a woman from the family two weeks ago, leaving her hospitalised.

The alleged serial rapist was on the police’s wanted list for about six counts of rape, theft cases and was a known thug who had several pending cases in court.

The family ambushed Misheck Khanye who had disappeared soon after committing the crime last week. They caught up with him as he disembarked from a truck at Shangani Business Centre and killed him at a police base.

The five brothers fled from the scene leaving their father behind, who was then arrested.—@winnie_masara.