Online Reporter
Arron Nyamayaro and Albert Masaka
A MAN, who is believed to be an artisanal miner, set his rented house on fire and also torched his wife’s car after a row over US$1,000, which he was demanding to be given back.
The incident happened in the Nyatsime suburb of Chitungwiza on Wednesday night.
It has left community members in shock.
They say it’s a miracle no one was burnt to death inside the house when the man set the house on fire.
A neighbour told H-Metro that the couple’s infant son, identified as Junior, had been taken to safety by their maid when the two began to fight.
The neighbour said during the fight, the couple threw some stones at each other but, by the time the fire started, the fighting appeared to have ended.
According to neighbours, the couple has a history of fighting between themselves.
A neighbour said the row started when the husband demanded to be given back the US$1,000, which he had handed to his wife, because he was unhappy with some of the questions she had asked her.
“The husband was unhappy that his wife kept asking him about the whereabouts of some of his clothes and he said the couple could no longer stay together because of their differences,” said the neighbour.
“He said he wanted to move out of the house and live elsewhere and demanded that his wife should give him back the US$1,000 he had given her.
“She told him that she had used the money to buy some household goods and chicken feed since they were also in the business of selling chickens and that’s when all hell broke loose.”
The neighbour added:
“I heard her crying vachiti ndirikuurayiwa, please Madzibaba come and help me but Madzibaba was not here, vakaenda kumasowe.
“Murume wavo mukorokoza saka ndakati zvino kuti ndibude ndaita munhu we chikadzi ndikati asi mai ava vakambondiudza kuti ndomagariro avo ekugara vachirovana.
“Then, I heard an explosion of fire and the noise of the fight had died down, I opened a window and saw the fire.
“People from the other houses had also gathered. The house was burning and so was the car. There was no one in the house and it was filled with smoke.
“Amai vadzoka ndokutora photo yemurume vakati uyu ndiye munhu apisa, vatora tsoka vakati zveku police zvikaramba tsoka yake iyoyi ndiyo yatichashandisa kuita kuti abatwe.
“We asked how much money was he demanding and we were told it was US$1,000.”
The man is said to have set the couple’s bedroom on fire first before setting the wife’s car on fire.
He then fled the scene.
National Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi was not reachable for comment.
However, police confirmed that the matter is under investigation at Beatrice Police Station.
