In one of the most gruesome and shocking murders to have happened in the Mutale area, a jilted man allegedly stabbed his wife multiple times before running away from the scene.
The incident, which is still the talk of the whole area, happened last Thursday at around 08:00 while the woman was cleaning her house. It is said that she left the house they shared at Tshiendeulu after a fight that took place in December. She stayed in an RDP house not far from her mother's home.
Family spokesperson Pastor Maria Mamedzi, who is also the local councillor, said the couple, Petunia Mukwevho (29) and Patrick Mukhuba, lived as husband and wife at their home at Tshiendeulu, but their relationship had been an abusive one, with the wife being on the receiving end most of the time.
"They were staying together with their three children, aged 9, 6 and 2, until December last year when they had a fight and the woman was injured. She then decided to leave for her home here at Luheni. We introduced her to the local chief, who organised an empty RDP house for her. We were not surprised when the man came and stayed here with her, but last Saturday the man decided to pack up all his belongings and go back home to Tshiendeulu."
She added that the man came back on Thursday and, in the presence of the children, he stabbed her many times and then ran away. Mamedzi further indicated that the murder came as a blow to the family. "She was not working, but she was using grant money to look after her children."
She said funeral preparations were progressing and that Mukwevho would be buried at the local cemetery on Thursday. Munna Ndi Nnyi Men's Forum's chairperson, Mr Bardwell Mufunwaini, condemned the incident and added that his organisation was deeply perturbed by the escalating violent incidents against women and children.
Mutale police spokesperson W/O Tshilidzi Nyambeni said they had opened a murder case. "After committing the crime, the man ran away, only to hand himself to the Siloam police the following day." Patrick Makhuba (39) appeared in the Mutale Magistrate's Court on Tuesday (22/3). The case was postponed to 29 April and he stays in custody.