Zimpapers Logo

Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief

A FORMER Midlands State University (MSU) student died after she was forced to drink poison by her boyfriend, a money changer, who then committed suicide by drinking the same poison in a fight over alleged infidelity.

The incident occurred on Thursday evening just outside South view surburb along Gwenhoro dam road.

The body of Christabelle Kumirai, the daughter of Anderson Adventist High School deputy headmaster Mr Edwin Kumirai, was only found around 9am in a vehicle believed to belong to her assailant Alex Muzenda.

The body of Muzenda, a well-known money changer and suspected gold miner, was found about a kilometer from the vehicle in a bushy area along the same road.

Alex Muzenda

The type of poison which killed them is still to be identified.

Christabelle and Muzenda were last seen together on Thursday evening in the Central Business District.

The popular couple, sources said, had broken up due to issues concerning infidelity.

Sources said Christabelle and Muzenda had been dating for a long time from the days she was at MSU.

“Alex was so much in love with Christabelle and I only learnt that they had broken up after their death. What I know is that Alex provided Christabelle everything she needed. He had invested so much in the relationship and probably could not stand seeing her move away,” said a fellow money changer on condition of anonymity.

Midlands provincial police spokesperson Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko said Christabelle’s body was discovered by a passerby who alerted the police.

“The matter was reported to Gweru Rural who attended the scene.Further investigations led to the discovery of Muzenda’s body about a kilometer away from the vehicle,” said Insp Mahoko.

He said preliminary investigations indicated that the girl had traces of blood and some froth coming from her mouth.

A bottle suspected to contain the poison was found at the scene where Muzenda’s body was recovered.

Insp Mahoko also said Muzenda’s body also had some froth from the mouth.

“The bodies have been taken to Bulawayo for postmortem,” he said.

Insp Mahoko urged members of the public to value life and seek mediation from third parties in times of conflict.