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Walter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
A 32-YEAR-OLD Masvingo man killed his 19-year-old South African wife and secretly buried her body on a riverbank, the High Court heard yesterday.
Chrispen Tiyayo, of Sungai Village under Chief Nhema in Zaka, was beginning a 22-year jail term yesterday after he was convicted of the murder of his wife, Mashudu Chishikau, with constructive intent.
Tiyayo, Justice Francis Bere heard on circuit in Masvingo, lost his rag after contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STI) which he blamed on his wife’s infidelity.
Passing sentence, Justice Bere said while the court considered that Tiyayo is young and was provoked by his wife due to her alleged philandering, the court did not lose sight of the fact that she died in a cruel manner.
The judge told Tiyayo: “I know that it’s the delight of any man to have a wife who is morally upright. The fact that you killed your wife that you loved so much will torment you for the rest of your life.
“You weren’t happy to discover that the wife you loved so much had given you an STI. This is mitigatory in nature, but in aggravation the court would not lose sight that you killed a defenceless woman who had no-one to turn to since she was a foreigner.
“You killed Chishikau in a cruel way by severely assaulting her with a whip, yet you had crossed the border to take her as a wife. The court is also worried by your persistent lies about what transpired. You also wanted to defeat the course of justice by concealing evidence when you daringly buried the body on a riverbank and never told anyone about your wife’s death.
“The cumulative effect of your conduct demonstrates the absence of remorse.”
In mitigation, Tiyayo – who had pleaded not guilty – said he was provoked after he discovered that his wife was cheating on him. He added that he had not meant to kill her as the assault was meant to induce pain only.
“It’s unfortunate that my actions led to loss of life. I didn’t intend to kill her but was just provoked by her actions of falling in love with another man and infecting me with an STI,” said Tiyayo.
Prosecutors said in early July 2013, Chishikau stayed with her mother-in-law, Margret Tiyayo.
She left the homestead and went to one Alestina Chekenyere’s home intending to return some clothes that she had taken the previous day.
On her way back, the court heard, Chishikau passed through one Tendai Murambi’s homestead and narrated how her mother-in-law was ill-treating her. The court heard that Murambi and Chekenyere decided to take her to Constable Godfrey Tonhodzai’s homestead in the same village.
“While at Tonhodzai’s homestead where she wanted to report her case, she was left in the care of Crescenzia Chihangasale, the wife of the police constable. Tiyayo, who was away when Chishikau left home, then arrived and found his wife not present,” said Tinayeshe Matenga prosecuting.
The court heard that Tiyavo retired to bed and woke up the following day looking for his wife and was informed that she was at the police constable’s homestead. He followed her. He punched and kicked her all over the body, before force-marching her home.
On July 9, Tiyayo woke up and advised Chishikau that they were going to her home but after travelling for about 20km, he took a whip and assaulted Chishikau until she fell unconscious and subsequently died on the spot.
Tiyavo took the body and buried it along Mutozi River before going back home where he behaved as if nothing had happened and did not tell anyone about the death.
After realising that Chishikau had taken long before returning home, the village head Conizio Tsigo informed a police officer who opened a missing person’s report.
The court heard that Tiyavo was subsequently arrested at his grandmother’s homestead.
On July 17, Chishikau’s body was discovered by Wellington Chikeya of the same village in a thick forest on the banks of the Mutozi River
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