Online Reporter
Yeukai Karengezeka-Court Correspondent
A MAN from Harare allegedly murdered his ex-wife with the assistance of his present wife to avoid paying US$2 500 in arrears of child maintenance.
Brian Chanachimwe (34) appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Tapiwa Kuhudzai yesterday, charged with the murder of his ex-wife, Jennifer Kalembo (35).
His latest wife, Olipa Chide, who was supposed to be tried as an accomplice in the case, reportedly committed suicide yesterday upon learning that police were actively searching for her. The other accomplice, Jonah Nekati, remains at large.
Chanachimwe is set to return to court on February 4, with any bail application having to be made at the High Court which handles such cases.
Prosecutor Mr Takudzwa Jambawu presented the case to the court, highlighting that Chanachimwe, along with Chide and Nekati, conspired to murder Kalembo.
The alleged motive was to escape the mounting child support obligation tied to the three children he sired with Kalembo.
On January 12, Chanachimwe reportedly lured Kalembo from her home in Mayambara to his residence in Pazza Crowhill, Borrowdale, under the pretext of providing US$150 for their children’s school fees.
Upon arrival, she was allegedly ambushed inside their house by Chanachimwe and Chide, who then fatally strangled her.
In an effort to conceal their crime, the couple allegedly disposed of evidence by taking Kalembo’s cellphone, removing the SIM card, and burying it near a rock behind their home.
They also burned her purse, which contained her national identity card, in an attempt to erase any trace of her identity before hiring a vehicle from a man named Solomon Gwanyanya, claiming they needed to transport a sick relative from the countryside.
Instead, they enlisted the help of their accomplice, Nekati, to load Kalembo’s lifeless body into the trunk of the hired Honda Fit around midnight.
The three drove to a remote dirt road near Eyecourt, opposite St Mary’s Waterworks, where they dumped Kalembo’s body.
On the following day, January 13, a passerby named Samson Bhobho discovered Kalembo’s body lying face-up in a dirt road.
