Crime of Passion: Woman dies after two hour torture over text message

Danisa Masuku
A jealous husband beat up his wife, doused her with paraffin before setting her alight in a passion-fuelled domestic dispute.

The woman, Bongani Nyathi, was rushed to Gweru General Hospital and later ferried to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Harare where she died on Thursday last week.

Events leading to her death are that she received a text message which her husband Eddy Mpofu suspected was from a boyfriend.

The two ran a shop in Lower Gwerua��s St Faith Business Centre where they were when the message reflected on Nyathia��s phone.

a�?Bongani received a stray love message and explained to her husband that she didna��t know the person who sent it.

He accepted the explanation with suspicion,a�? said Eddya��s friend David Banda.

Banda said Mpofu became moody and even refused to be bought beer on that night.

Instead, he left the bar and went back to his shop where he locked himself and his wife inside.

That was to be the beginning of a violent two hours. He beat her up with a chisel and booted feet.

Nyathi is said to have cried for help through an open window but no one came to her rescue.

She struggled for survival andA� managed to get her hands on the shop keys which she threw out by the window. Still, no one dared open the shop to save her.

It was the beginning of the end as Mpofu wrapped his bleeding wife with a blanket soaked in paraffin. In an act of despicable cruelty, he set her alight, sat on the cash register counter and watched her body roast.

That is when one villager, although a bit late, gathered courage to save her.

She was rushed to hospital as the village head Hlanganani Gwabeni called the police.

a�?I called the police. What he did was cruel and disheartening,a�? said Gwabeni.

Mpofu was apprehended and released by the police. Out of guilt, he followed to check on his wife in Harare where she had been taken to Parirenyatwa Hospital.

When she died he was re-arrested by police in Mbare.

His father, Peter Mpofu was in denial when B-Metro sought a comment.

a�?You guys want to tarnish my sona��s name. People are lying, he didna��t commit the crime,a�? he said.

Andersen Nyathi, Bongania��s father said the greater part of his daughtera��s body was burnt.

a�?Post-mortem shows that she suffered 70 degree burns and had scars all over the body from being hit with a chisel,a�? he said.

He demanded eight cows as compensation before his daughter is laid to rest.

However, the Mpofus offered only two cows and five goats leading to a deadlock.

By time of going to press, the deceased had not been buried as the feud raged on.

Mpofu and Nyathi have a six-year-old daughter.