Tragic domestic violence ends in Gwanda man’s conviction for wife’s murder
In a harrowing turn of events, a 30-year-old man from Sibhula Village in Gwanda has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of his wife, Happiness Ngwenya. The High Court sitting at Bulawayo handed down the ruling after the accused was found guilty of the brutal crime.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe, the tragic incident occurred on August 20th, 2023, around 11 PM. The accused, whose identity has not been released, returned home to find his wife asleep in the bedroom with their two young children. When Happiness Ngwenya asked her husband where he had been, an argument ensued, which quickly escalated into violence.
The accused man is said to have assaulted his wife with his fists and a knobkerrie, striking her on the knees and neck. He then proceeded to strangle her, leading to her untimely death. Initially, the accused reported the incident to the police, claiming that his wife had been suffering from chest problems and he had found her dead on the floor.
However, the postmortem report revealed that the cause of death was strangulation and mechanical asphyxia. Furthermore, the couple’s 5-year-old child testified that she had witnessed the accused person strangling the now-deceased. The child’s testimony was deemed credible by the court, leading to the conviction of the accused.
During the trial on May 30th, 2024, the accused attempted to claim that he had strangled his wife in self-defense, alleging that she had grabbed his testicles during the altercation. Nonetheless, the overwhelming evidence, including the child’s eyewitness account, resulted in the court finding the accused guilty of murder.
