Moffat Mungazi
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A MUTASA woman took her own life after a heated argument with her son over his decision to spend the night at his ‘loose’ girlfriend’s house.
The Weekender understands that the woman, Memory Marware (43), of Village 1, Nyamukwarara under Chief Mutasa, ingested poison following a dispute with her son, Lameck Mangemba (22).
She had strongly discouraged him from being involved with a local girl she considered to be of questionable morals.
Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka, confirmed the incident which happened on April 12.
“Marware had a misunderstanding with her son, Lameck Mangemba over his decision to go for a sleepover at his girlfriend’s house. She strongly opposed the relationship. After an argument, she went to her garden, about 700 metres from their homestead, and ingested a poisonous substance that was stored there,” said Assistant Inspector Chinyoka.
He said after ingesting the poison, Marware called her sister, Kudakwashe Marware, who stays in Zimunya, and informed her of her decision to commit suicide.
“Kudakwashe called Marware’s husband, Tinei Mangemba (40), who rushed to the garden and found his wife lying on the ground besides an empty bottle of the poison. She was struggling to breathe and appeared to be in great distress,” said Assistant Inspector Chinyoka.
Mangemba carried Marware back home where they tried to keep her stable overnight. Unfortunately, she died the following morning.
“She passed away around 3am the next morning,” he said.
The matter was reported to the police, who ferried her body to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital for a post-mortem.
In a phone interview with The Weekender, Marware’s husband, Mangemba said the argument between his late wife and son started shortly after Lameck returned from Mutare, where he was working.
“We were all happy to see back him after a while. He came home and bathed, but when he did not come back into the house, his mother went to check on him. That is when she discovered that he was planning to spend the night at his girlfriend’s place. They got into a heated argument because she was against it,” he said.
Mangemba said Lameck ignored his mother’s pleas and left for the girlfriend’s house.
He said it was only after receiving a phone call from Marware’s sister that he became aware of the tragedy.
“She called and told me that my wife had informed her she had taken poison. I immediately rushed to the garden and found her lying on the ground. I tried to render first aid, but it was already too late. She was having breathing difficulties, and never recovered,” he said.
The post-mortem had not been conducted at the time of going to print, and funeral arrangements were still underway.
Online Reporter