Avhapfani Eric Mundalamo, 55, who is alleged to have shot and killed his wife while she was attending a church service at Makonde Shadani last year, appeared in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court on Tuesday afternoon.
Mundalamo was arrested for the murder of his estranged wife, Funanani Patience Mbedzi, on 30 March last year. She was a popular choir leader, and the incident occurred while she was leading a choir performance.
Ms Funanani Mbedzi Mundalamo, 42, was a well-known figure in the Khubvi area. She owned Funi's Hair Salon but also dedicated her time to her local church, where she served as a worship leader.
The church where she was attending the Easter sermon is situated next to the Mutale Bridge. Eyewitnesses described how a man walked up to Ms Mundalamo, pulled out a gun, and shot her twice. As panic broke out, congregants fled in fear. Ms Mundalamo sustained fatal injuries and died inside the church. The shooter then fled the scene in a silver-grey Toyota Corolla.
When he appeared in court this week, Mundalamo looked lost and stared at the magistrate without blinking.
The state prosecutor informed the court that the ballistics results were now available. The case was subsequently postponed to 14 March for the docket to be submitted to the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for a decision.
Some Khubvi village residents who attended the proceedings said they were relieved that the case was progressing and hoped justice would take its course, so they could find closure. "We believe that, like any other wife killer in the country, the murderer will rot in jail for killing one of our own inside the house of the Lord," one resident said.