Moffat Mungazi
Weekender Reporters
A JILTED man who could not accept being dumped by his girlfriend on Christmas Day died after allegedly drinking beer laced with poison at her home in Penhalonga.
In a separate, unrelated incident, a 38-year-old man from Sakubva was found dead at his house following a domestic dispute reportedly linked to extramarital affairs. The incident occurred on December 28 around 8.30am.
Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka, confirmed both cases, and identified the deceased as Madziro and Malvin Samhiri, respectively.
He said Madziro died after consuming poisoned opaque beer at his girlfriend’s house in Tsvingwe Medium Density, Penhalonga, shortly after she ended their relationship.
“On December 25, Madziro visited his girlfriend, who told him she no longer loved him due to his excessive drinking habits and asked him to leave. Instead, he forcibly remained at her house. Later that morning, he went to Mutare Central Business District and returned with a bottle of opaque beer. He began vomiting and confessed that he had laced the beer with poison because his girlfriend had ended the relationship,” Assistant Inspector Chinyoka said.
Madziro was rushed to Od Mutare Mission Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police inspected the body and found no visible injuries before transferring it to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital for a post-mortem. Investigations are ongoing.
Assistant Inspector Chinyoka urged couples facing relationship challenges to seek counselling from relatives, trusted friends, or community leaders rather than resorting to harmful actions.
Assistant Inspector Chinyoka said misunderstandings between Samhiri and his wife, Portia Samhiri, began after the deceased received a phone call from his girlfriend in the presence of his wife.
It is alleged that the matter escalated into a prolonged argument.
The now deceased locked himself inside the house while his wife remained outside.
A neighbour was subsequently called to assist, and together they managed to gain entry into the house.
Upon entering, they discovered that Samhiri was hanging from the roof truss, having allegedly used a black telephone overhead cable.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. Preliminary investigations indicated that there was a cup containing a white substance and a sachet suspected to contain poison on a sofa in the house.
Assistant Inspector Chinyoka said the body was conveyed to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examinations to establish the exact cause of death.
Meanwhile, police have urged members of the public to resolve domestic disputes amicably and to seek counselling or community mediation when faced with challenges in their relationships, rather than resorting to actions that may result in loss of life.
In an unrelated incident, a Christmas Day outing ended in tragedy in Tsvakai Village, Odzi , under Chief Marange, after a 37-year-old man was found dead on the banks of the Mukuni River.
Assistant Inspector Chinyoka identified the deceased as Admire Mapfumbidze.
“At around midday, Mapfumbidze left home in the company of his wife, Olivia Chidzivo, to buy groceries for their family at Zumbare Shopping Centre. While at the shops, he reportedly consumed some beer,” he said.
Assistant Inspector Chinyoka said at around 3pm, Chidzivo decided to return home to prepare food for the children and the deceased reportedly accompanied her to assist her to cross Mukuni River.
After helping his wife cross safely, he allegedly returned to Zumbare Shopping Centre, where he continued drinking, but did not return home that day, raising concern among family members.
The following day, Chidzivo, together with the deceased’s brother, Frank Mapfumbidze, began searching for him along Mukuni River.
The search party ended tragically when they discovered his body lying on the river bank.
The matter was reported to Odzi police, who attended the scene, and investigations are in progress.
Online Reporter