Wife killer jailed for six years

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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
A MAN from Jotsholo who killed his wife after she told him that she had found another man who performed better in bed has been jailed for six years, amid claims that she also infected him with HIV.

Elijah Khumalo (25) and Sithembiso Mathwasa (41) of Menyezwa  Village under Chief Mabhikwa in Lupane district had separated when the incident occurred.

The woman’s decomposed remains were discovered by villagers who identified the clothes and wig she had been wearing when she was last seen about two months earlier.

Khumalo was convicted of a lesser charge of culpable homicide by Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Francis Bere who was on circuit in Hwange during the week.

Khumalo, through his pro deo lawyer Njabulo Ndlovu of Ndove, Mseta and Partners had pleaded not guilty to murder citing provocation by his wife, whom he had invited to mend their relationship sometime in September last year.

He claimed that Mathwasa had also infected him with HIV.

“We were once married and had marital problems since the beginning of 2016. I phoned her so we could meet and talk because I wanted us to reconcile.

She provoked me when she said she had moved on with another man who was performing better than me in bed. She also told me that she had infected me with HIV,” said Khumalo.

In his judgment, Justice Bere said it was clear that Khumalo, who claimed to have been drunk on the fateful day, was provoked.

The judge, however, condemned using violence in dealing with family or marital problems, as he sentenced Khumalo to six years in prison.  Three years were suspended on condition that he does not commit a similar crime within the next five years.

Prosecuting, Ms Memory Munsaka said Khumalo struck the now deceased four times and she died on the spot in a bush near Ndaba Bus stop along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway.

“On a date not known to the prosecutor but between September 1 and October 31, 2016, the accused person phoned the now deceased so they could meet at Ndaba Bus Stop along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road,” said the prosecutor.

When the couple met, they walked into a nearby bush and Khumalo started begging Mathwasa to reconcile with him so that they return to their matrimonial home.

“The deceased refused indicating that she was now in love with someone else. This angered the accused who struck her twice on the head with the back of an axe. The deceased fell to the ground and he struck her twice on the neck using the same axe,” said the prosecutor.

The court was told that Khumalo took Mathwasa’s phone and left the body in the bush.

Villagers Ms Patricia Dube (63) and Mr Jericho Bhaca came across the remains on November 4 as they were herding cattle and alerted police.

Khumalo fled from home and was arrested near Fatima High School on November 5. — @ncubeleon.

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