An enraged Bulawayo man fatally stabbed his “cheating” wife 30 times using a sharp object before burning her body using an unknown flammable substance, a High Court judge heard yesterday.
Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Martin Makonese heard this when Jonathan Manguyana (33) of Romney Park appeared before him facing a murder charge in connection with the death of his wife, Fortune Nyarai Manyengavana (27) .
Justice Makonese ordered that Manguyana be examined by two psychiatric doctors in terms of the Mental Health Act to ascertain his mental condition.
In his warned and cautioned statement, Manguyana claimed that his wife’s cellphone rang and she then left the house and went outside. He said he later followed her and found her in a compromising situation with another man.
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| Man kills ‘cheating spouse’, burns body |
He said while on his way, he was suddenly struck by a brick on the face and he fell down and lost consciousness.
“I regained consciousness and proceeded home where I took a nap before police called me and informed me about the incident,” he said.
Manguyana told his children and maid that his wife had eloped after he caught her with another man at their gate.
However, police later established that he had lied and arrested him.
Witnesses told police that the couple always fought, with the woman beating her husband and chasing him away from their rented house.
The couple operated a flea market at Unity Village in Bulawayo.
Prosecuting, Miss Nonhlanhla Ndlovu said on December 16, 2012 Manguyana and Manyengavana had a dispute while at their house and the woman fled to a neighbour’s place.
The court heard that the accused gave chase, picked a brick and hit Manyengavana on the leg before allegedly stabbing her 30 times using an unknown object, resulting in her death.
Manguyana then allegedly dragged the body to a nearby bush where he set it alight using an unknown flammable substance.
After burning the body at a spot a few hundred metres behind their home, he allegedly went on to raise alarm at the local police station claiming his wife had eloped with another man and was missing.
Police were called by neighbours who had seen traces of blood in front of their houses leading to the bush and investigations led to Manguyana’s arrest.
