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Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Court Reporter
A BULAWAYO woman who fatally axed her husband for failing to reprimand their daughter during a misunderstanding over which television channel to watch, told the court that her actions were driven by humiliation she allegedly suffered at the hands of the deceased.

Ordetta Mpofu (44) of Emganwini suburb alleged that her husband humiliated her in front their children when he told her in the face that she had no shares in their matrimonial home.

Mpofu, who didn’t appear remorseful throughout the court proceedings when she briefly appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Shepherd Munjanja facing a murder charge said:

“I acted out of anger when I struck my husband with an axe because he humiliated me in front of our children when he told me that I did not have shares in our home.”

Mpofu went berserk and allegedly axed her husband, Thembani Mpofu (52), an employee of the Bulawayo City Council three times on the head.

She accused him of failing to support her during the fight over the remote control with her daughter.

Mpofu was remanded in custody to May 11 pending examination by two doctors to ascertain her mental health status in terms of the Mental Health Act.

Prosecuting, Ms Martha Tafa said on April 10 at around 7.45PM, the now deceased was watching television with the accused person and their two children.

The court heard that one of the children changed the channel they were watching and that did not go down well with Mpofu who asked her to return to the previous channel.

A misunderstanding arose between the accused person and her daughter while the deceased was watching and did not interfere.

“A misunderstanding arose between the daughter and the accused person who became angry and the deceased didn’t intervene and indicated that he was not involved in their misunderstanding and retired to bed,” said Ms Tafa.

At around 9.30PM, the accused person armed herself with an axe, got into their bedroom and axed her husband three times on the head while he was asleep and he died on the spot.

After committing the gruesome murder, Mpofu confessed to her daughter that she had killed her father for failing to reprimand her during the misunderstanding.

“The accused person got out of the bedroom and told her daughter that she had killed her father.

“The daughter got into the bedroom and discovered that her father was bleeding profusely, she then screamed and informed her brother,” said Ms Tafa.

A report was made to the police leading to the accused person’s arrest. The deceased’s body was taken to the United Bulawayo Hospital (UBH) for a postmortem.

Mpofu, in her defence, told the court that she committed the offence out of anger after the deceased humiliated her in front of their children when he allegedly told her that she had no shares in their matrimonial home. — @mashnets