The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa Post Correspondent
A CHIPINGE hacked his wife with a machete, accusing her of shaving her pubic hair without his consent.
Despite insisting that he was in a trance when he committed the offence, Kudzai Ndongwa (35) of Mbeure Village under Chief Musikavanhu, Chipinge was convicted by High Court Judge, Charles Hungwe last week.
He was found guilty of murder with actual intent and slapped with a 25-year jail term.
In his defence, however, Ndongwa told the court that his wife’s action was taboo in their culture and that she had to get his nod before shaving off her pubic hair.
“I did not intentionally kill her My Lord. My main aim was to discipline her as she had disrespected me by shaving off what belonged to both of us. Instead of asking for permission, she went ahead and shaved off the pubic hair behind my back. This angered me.
“I, however, do not know what happened next as I was no longer myself after I begun assaulting her. It might not have been me who committed the heinous crime because up to now I do not remember how everything happened. I was not in my normal senses,” he defended himself.
The State led by Mrs Jane-Rose Matsikidze alleged that on April 3, 2016, Ndongwe who was in his bedroom hut, noticed the late Tendekai Mabika burying something in a disused pit within their homestead.
After Mabika had left the pit, Ndongwe went to check on what had been thrown away by his wife. He concluded that the buried plastic bag contained what seemed like human hair.
The angry Ndongwa then confronted his wife on why she had shaved without his consent and even went further to throw away the pubic hair secretly. This led to a heated argument between the couple.
Mabika is alleged to have asked Ndongwa on whether he was labelling her witch, thereby making the latter much angry.
Ndongwa went back into his bedroom hut and came back armed with a machete.
In the middle of the heated argument, Ndongwa struck Mabika with the machete. Mabika took to her heels, but Ndongwa was in hot pursuit.
Ndongwa struck her on the head, chest and neck multiple times with the machete. After committing the heinous offence, Ndongwa went and changed his blood-stained clothes and hid the machete.
A while later, fellow villagers saw Mabika’s body in a pool of blood and asked Ndongwa what had happened, but he did not answer them as he seemed to be in a trance.
A villager, James Mbeure, reported the case to a member of the Neighbourhood Watch Committee leading to Ndongwa’s arrest.
Justice Hungwe condemned Ndongwa for being ruthless towards his wife and cutting her life short in cold blood.
He said: “The matter constitutes the worst case scenario of domestic violence at a time where we are fighting day and night against such violent acts.
“It has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that the deceased had not provoked you in any way, but you went ahead and murdered her. As your wife and dependant, your main duty was to protect her, but you acted otherwise and killed her in cold blood and therefore you deserve an even stiffer jail term.”
