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The house in New Luveve, Bulawayo, over which Lucas Nyathi was allegedly killed

Thandeka Moyo Court Reporter—
A 53-year-old domestic worker allegedly strangled her  octogenarian employer-cum-husband with her bare hands as she could no longer bear his deteriorating health after suffering a stroke. Florence Mazhanga from Mahatshula suburb was employed by the Nyathi family as a live out maid and eventually fell in love with Lucas Nyathi, 80, after his wife died in 2009.

But when her lover fell sick, Mazhanga would assault him with sticks for messing himself until she allegedly killed the man in May this year so she could inherit his house.

Mazhanga appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Sibongile Msipa facing murder charges on Friday and was remanded in custody to October 2 after the state opposed bail.

The state led by Dennmore Kasenza alleges that sometime in 2011 Nyathi’s daughter Christine, based in South Africa, approached Mazhanga and asked her if she could move in and stay with Nyathi as a maid.

During the same year, Nyathi and Mazhanga fell in love and started co-habiting as husband and wife.
In June 2011, Nyathi suffered a stroke which left the left side of his body completely paralysed. Nyathi was unable to do anything for himself often messing himself leaving Mazhanga with no option but to clean and bathe him.

She would sometimes thrash Nyathi using sticks for messing himself and neighbours would occasionally come to his rescue after hearing his cries. Nyathi’s health deteriorated to an extent that Mazhanga was now sleeping in another bedroom.

After being overburdened by Nyathi’s ill health, Mazhanga allegedly hatched a plan to kill him and inherit his New Luveve house since she was the only surviving spouse.

On May 8 this year, Mazhanga entered Nyathi’s bedroom and allegedly strangled him using her hands. She then locked all the doors and the gate and went away. She returned home on the same day at around 7PM and unlocked the gate and the kitchen door to get access to the house. Mazhanga then raised alarm to the neighbours to the effect that Nyathi had passed away. A report was made to the police who came and attended the scene. The attending police officer observed that Nyathi had some bruises and a swollen neck.

There was no indication of a break-in at the house as everything was in order and Mazhanga was the only one who had access to Nyathi. On May 13 a postmortem was conducted on Nyathi’s remains and a pathologist discovered that there were bruises and a thumb impression on the right side of the late’s neck, bruises on the left side of the neck and a broken trachea.

The pathologist concluded that Nyathi’s death was caused by strangulation, homicide and asphyxia. It was not revealed in court papers when Mazhanga was arrested or why she had not been brought to court earlier.