Online Reporter
Zvikomborero Parafini
IT’S a chilling murder case which has gripped the attention of the nation – a woman being lured to her death by her ex-husband, his new wife taking part in the murder, and then committing suicide.
There were four people involved in this tragedy – two men and two women.
Both women, Olipa Chide and Jennifer Kalembo – are dead.
Kalembo was strangled to death at a house in Crowhll, Harare, while Chide took her own life at her grandparents’ home in Gutu, after having escaped from justice, as the police closed in.
Both men — Brian Chanachimwe and Jonah Nekati— are now in remand custody.
Nekati also tried to flee from justice, after learning that the police were closing in on him.
But, he was busted at his hideout in Mutare last week.
Nekati told the police he did not take part in the crime and, instead, nailed the couple as the two people who killed Kalembo.
Nekati’s arrest is a huge development in the investigations of this case in which Chanachimwe, 34, and his late wife, Olipa Chide, are accused of murdering Kalembo.
The case was exclusively reported by H-Metro last week.
Kalembo was Chanachimwe’s ex-wife and he is being accused of murdering her, with the help of Chide and Nekati, before dumping her body near the Hunyani River Bridge in Chitungwiza.
Nekati had been on the run until he was arrested at his hideout in Mutare and appeared in court in Harare on Thursday.
Chanachimwe allegedly lured Kalembo to her death, pretending that he wanted to give her some money for the school fees of their children and then working in tandem with Chide to kill her.
The motive, according to the State, was to help Chanachimwe escape the mounting child support obligations tied to the three children Chanachimwe sired with Kalembo.
Chanachimwe’s arrears, in terms of child maintenance, were now about US$2,500.
Recently, police were tipped off that Nekati, who had been on the run for about two weeks, was hiding at a friend’s house in Mutare.
They pounced on him at his hideout and Nekati told the police Chanachimwe and Chide were the ones who murdered Kalembo.
He claims they only engaged him to load the corpse into the car and that he had nothing to do with the murder.
Nekati appeared before magistrate Ruth Moyo in Harare last week, facing charges that he helped Chanachimwe and the late Chide to murder Kalembo.
He was not asked to plead.
The court heard that Chanachimwe (34) and Chide allegedly conspired to murder Kalembo.
The alleged motive was to escape the mounting child support obligation tied to the three children Chanachimwe sired with Kalembo.
On January 12, Chanachimwe allegedly lured Kalembo from her home in Mayambara to his home in Crowhill under the pretext of providing US$150 for their children’s school fees.
Upon arrival, she was allegedly ambushed inside their house by the couple, who 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.
They claimed they needed to transport a sick relative from the countryside.
They also enlisted the help of 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 on a dirt road and filed a police report.
Investigations led to the arrest of Chanachimwe.
Upon hearing of her husband’s arrest, Chide committed suicide.
Nekati’s arrest means that the two living suspects in the murder are now in police custody.
Chanachimwe has already appeared before Harare magistrate Tapiwa Kuhudzai facing charges of murdering his ex-wife.
He is set to return to court on Wednesday, with any bail application having to be made at the High Court, which handles such cases.
Prosecutor Takudzwa Jambawu accused Chanachimwe, Chide and Nekati of conspiring to murder Kalembo.
Kalembo was buried in Hwedza at an emotionally-charged affair.
