Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa and Liberty Dube
A DISPUTE over the care of a four-month-old baby ended in tragedy in Chikanga on Wednesday night, when a 34-year-old man allegedly fatally assaulted his wife after accusing her of neglecting their child.
Police said Tawanda Muradzikwa confronted his wife, Samantha Chuma (41), after she reportedly left the infant in the care of other children, while spending several hours at a local bar.
The confrontation escalated into violence, leaving Chuma dead and the family devastated.
The couple’s children have since been placed in the care of relatives, as investigations continue.
Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka, referred inquiries to national police spokesperson, Commissioner Paul Nyathi, who was not immediately available for comment.
When The Manica Post visited the family’s home at House Number 824 in Chikanga One on Thursday morning, police officers were still gathering evidence.
Neighbours stood nearby, visibly shaken by the grim scene, mourning the loss, and grappling with the shock of domestic violence in their community.
According to neighbours and tenants, the couple had a history of domestic violence, with previous incidents reportedly resulting in police reports and a binding-over protection order.
Ms Petronella Gwenzi, a tenant at the property, said the events leading to the tragedy began when the late Chuma left their infant in the care of other children and went to a nearby bar.
She said Muradzikwa returned home and found the baby crying.
“He asked us whether we had seen his wife, and we told him we had not. He left the baby with us and went to look for her at the bar,” said Ms Gwenzi, adding that she later followed him to the bar carrying the infant after the baby continued crying.
“I found Chuma seated there and handed the baby to her. She immediately started breastfeeding the child, and the couple later returned home together,” said Ms Gwenzi, claiming the situation took a tragic turn later that evening.
“At around 6pm, the oldest child, who is 12, came asking to borrow my torch, saying the baby was crying, and they could not see properly inside the house since it was dark. Initially, I refused because I feared the torch could be damaged,” she said, adding that the same child returned a short while later, explaining that she was unable to wake her mother to feed the crying infant.
“I accompanied them to the room, and used my torch to light the house. I found Muradzikwa holding Chuma while they were both on the floor. She had a wound at the back of her head and was bleeding,” she said.
Other tenants were alerted before the police were contacted.
Ms Gwenzi said the couple’s relationship was characterised by violence.
“They loved each other, but they were both short-tempered. There were times when Samantha would attack him with a knife and police reports would be made. They regularly fought, especially when alcohol was involved, and there was a binding-over protection order between them,” she said, adding that Muradzikwa appeared distraught after realising his wife had died.
“He placed her on the bed and poured water on her, begging her to wake up. He kept saying that if she was gone, he also wanted to die. It was a painful scene, and police officers had to restrain him,” she said.
Another neighbour and former tenant, Ms Pamela Nyagusi, said she had lived at the couple’s home for five years, and witnessed repeated incidents of domestic violence.
“They often drank together at local bars and arguments frequently followed. In-fact, Chuma would go to the bar with the baby. Even when she was pregnant, she would go to the bar. There were many occasions when she reported him to the police after alleged assaults. We are devastated that it has ended this way,” she said.
Mbuya Jane Kurima, a neighbour, described the late Chuma as a cheerful person whose struggles with alcohol had strained her family life.
“I saw her earlier that day and she was in good spirits. We had previously advised her to stop drinking, and for some time she did, but she later resumed,” she said, adding that she had encountered Muradzikwa as he followed his wife to the bar earlier in the day.
“He told me he wanted to assault her, but I thought he was joking. He may have believed he was disciplining her, but it ended in tragedy,” she said, expressing concern over increasing cases of domestic violence linked to alcohol abuse.
“This is heart-breaking. We hope such incidents will stop,” she said.
Muradzikwa’s friend, Mr Taurai Namaneni, said he had previously counselled him against violence.
“I saw him on Wednesday, and he had been drinking spirits. Last year, I visited their home and advised him to stop assaulting his wife after witnessing the difficulties in their marriage,” he said.
He said it was usually the late Chuma who would collect her husband from drinking spots when he became intoxicated.
“My message to other men is that violence is never the answer. If you have problems in your marriage, seek counselling or mediation instead of fighting. It is the children who suffer the most. Now the wife is dead, the husband is in custody, and the children have been left without their parents,” he said.
