A 26-year-old man identified as Dignity Masvimbo of Winery in Greenvale suburb, in the Gweru area of Zimbabwe, has on Monday narrated how he walked for 16 kilometres to his estranged wife’s family’s home and allegedly stabbed her several times after his reconciliation bid was blocked as he had not paid lobola (the bride price).
The young man confessed that he stabbed his wife identified as Oripa Mashayamombe several times in the neck, abdomen, head and arms leading to her death on the spot last Thursday.
Masvimbo appeared before Gweru magistrate Ms Judith Taruvinga for confirmation of his warned and cautioned statement and was remanded in custody to May 15.
In the statement, Masvimbo said he admits to the charge of having domestic issues with Oripa, who ran away to her mother’s house in Mkoba 14.
The Chronicle reported that the suspect said he subsequently had a misunderstanding with her over her refusal to come back home and her decision to deny him custody of their five-year-old daughter.
“I followed her wanting to take her back from her parents but her parents refused saying I should pay lobola first. I failed to pay the lobola since I didn’t have the money to pay lobola,” said Masvimbo.
He said he went back to his home frustrated after leaving Oripa and their child at Mkoba 14 suburb, adding that he later started hearing rumours that his wife was cheating on him with several men, a development he said troubled him very much.
He said he then decided to kill her by stabbing her so that she feels his pain of living without her and their daughter. “So I thought of stabbing her to death with a knife to inflict pain on her for causing me pain also,” he said.
On April 26, Masvimbo said he took a knife and wore his clothes and an overall on top before embarking on a 16km journey on foot, from Winery in Greenvale suburb to Mkoba 14 suburb to kill Oripa.
He said when he got to her parents’ house at around 5:00am, he found his mother-in-law Mrs Alice Mashayamombe walking on the road looking for transport to go to town.
The woman was going to the market as she is a vendor.
Masvimbo said he pretended to be tying his shoe laces so that Mrs Mashayamombe would not recognise him.
“She passed by me as I was pretending to tie my shoes. I got to the house and peeped through the window and saw that there was no one in the dining room. I then opened the dining room door which wasn’t locked, entered the room and sat on the sofa,” he said.
He said Oripa’s grandmother woke up and asked who was in the dining room, adding that he responded, telling her that it was him.
“Oripa woke up and came to see me. I asked her to accompany me outside so that we could talk. I took a cellphone that was on the charger and switched it off.
“We went outside the house with Oripa. I asked her if she could go with me to my house so that she can collect her belongings but she refused. I stabbed her in the abdomen on the right side, in the neck and went on to stab her on her hands several times before she fell down,” he said.
Masvimbo said he removed his overall that was drenched with Oripa’s blood and threw it on the road as he ran away from the scene.
Prosecutor, Ernest Muzembi appeared for the State.