Online Reporter
Nyore Madzianike
Senior Reporter
THE widow of Kurai Coaches director, Bridget Makaza, has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for the cold-blooded and premeditated murder of her husband, MaCloud Zvavovaviri Mapanga, at their Belvedere home in Harare in 2018.
Makaza was last week convicted by the High Court after Justice Emilia Muchawa found overwhelming evidence that she meticulously planned and executed the killing before staging a fake armed robbery to conceal the crime.
According to court proceedings, the murder occurred in the early hours of May 14, 2018, when Makaza used a .38 Amadeo Rossi revolver — whose serial numbers had been erased — to shoot her husband three times as he slept.
One bullet struck his right shoulder, another hit him above the left shoulder, and a third grazed his neck before penetrating the right shoulder.
After shooting her husband, Makaza attempted to cover up the murder by claiming that armed robbers had broken into their home, shot Mapanga, and stolen US$12 000 from a wardrobe.
In the aftermath, she drove alone to a swampy area where she disposed of the firearm and a pair of latex gloves she had worn during the attack.
She then went to Mabelreign Police Station, where she falsely reported a robbery. However, her story quickly unravelled under police investigation.
Detectives found no signs of forced entry at the house, and forensic ballistic tests later matched the bullets recovered from the deceased’s body to the same firearm Makaza had attempted to conceal.
The weapon and gloves were subsequently recovered after she made indications to the police.
Evidence presented in court showed that Makaza had travelled to South Africa on May 2, 2018, where she bought the gun later used in the murder.
Following her arrest, she was granted bail but fled to the United Kingdom, where she remained until her re-arrest upon returning to Zimbabwe in December 2024.
A post-mortem report revealed that Mapanga died from traumatic shock, as well as ruptures to his lungs and liver caused by the gunshots.
In her defence, Makaza claimed that she had suffered years of emotional and physical abuse at the hands of her husband, citing repeated assaults, forced intimacy, infidelity, and psychological torment.
She told the court that on the night of the murder, an argument erupted after Mapanga accused her of witchcraft and threatened her life, leading to a struggle over the firearm during which it allegedly discharged accidentally.
She also claimed that her confession had been extracted under duress and denied procuring the gun herself.
Justice Muchawa, however, dismissed her version of events, ruling that the evidence clearly demonstrated planning and deliberate intent to kill.
“Our findings are that the accused person planned to execute the deceased,” Justice Muchawa said in her judgment.
“To set this in motion, she travelled to South Africa, soon after her return from the United Kingdom, to procure the murder weapon. She conveniently flew into South Africa and used the road back to smuggle the firearm into Zimbabwe, waiting for the right moment to strike.”
The judge said Makaza executed her plan in the early hours of May 14, 2018, when her husband, who had returned home around 11 pm, was fast asleep.
“She aimed at the upper part of his body and delivered three fatal shots to the shoulders and neck. To cover up her crime, she staged an unlawful entry and robbery, shouting ‘thief, thief’ before leaving the deceased seriously injured without rendering any assistance or calling the ambulance and slipped away in the ensuing confusion,” said Justice Muchawa.
“She then went alone presumably to lodge a report, but, as confessed, her priority was to dispose of the firearm and related items, including the gloves which she had worn when shooting the deceased.
“To sanitise her disposal trip, the accused passed through Mabelreign Police Station and reported a robbery. This story was sustained throughout until interrogations led to her confession and the indications she made leading to the recovery of the firearm.”
Justice Muchawa concluded that Makaza’s conduct before, during, and after the murder showed deliberate planning and intent to kill.
“The conduct of the accused before, during, and after the murder led us to unequivocally conclude that the accused unlawfully and with intent to kill, shot MaCloud Zvavovaviri Mapanga.”
