Source: Court hears of Cowdray Park’s grisly triple murder | The Sunday Mail
Bulawayo Bureau
A HEAVY atmosphere of grief and disbelief filled the Western Commonage Magistrates’ Court in Bulawayo yesterday as Happiness Chimbangu (34) was hauled before the court on allegations of the grisly murder of her 35-year-old husband Edwin Chimbangu and their two children.
Dressed in a pair of black jeans and a maroon T-shirt, Happiness entered the courtroom with an unsettling calmness, her movements constrained by leg irons. He was flanked by the renowned Queen Lozikeyi Unit — female officers from the CID Homicide Squad.
Yet it was not defiance that defined her demeanour; it was something far more unnerving: a complete lack of emotion.
Accused of carrying out a brutal and seemingly unprovoked attack, Happiness stood before the court with an eerie composure.
Her detached gaze scanned the room with a curiosity that unsettled everyone in attendance, as if the gravity of her alleged actions had not registered.
Details of the horrific crime were presented in stark and chilling terms, recounting the brutality of the murders.
Happiness, however, remained unmoved throughout.
Occasionally, her gaze shifted to the prosecutor.
The court heard that on Wednesday, at about 8pm, Happiness was at her place of residence in Cowdray Park with her now-late two children — Promise Chimbangu (4) and Prudence Chimbangu (7 months) — when her husband Edwin arrived home from his vending business in Bulawayo’s central business district.
Upon his arrival, the court heard that he enquired as to why she had not prepared supper for the family yet she had all the provisions.
Instead, Happiness raised her voice at him, threatening to kill herself with a kitchen knife that she had picked up from the kitchen table.
Sensing danger, the husband quickly grabbed Happiness and disarmed her.
Soon after disarming her, the court heard that Edwin called for the assistance of their two church elders and his mother-in-law (Happiness’ mother), who all came and resolved the matter and left.
The court heard that after substituting tea with supper around 11pm, all family members retired to bed in the same room, except the accused person, who remained seated on the bed.
Around 1am, Happiness reportedly armed herself with a metal digger, which she had borrowed from a co-tenant the previous day.
While the now-deceased were fast asleep, Happiness struck Edwin three times — once on the throat and twice on the jaws — resulting in his death.
She went on to fatally strike Promise three times on the neck.
After ascertaining that the two had died, Happiness went on to strike Prudence three times on the head, resulting in her death, the court was told.
After the act, she went out of the house and proceeded to a fellow church member, where she narrated what she had done.
Magistrate Mrs Skhethile Moyo remanded her in custody until February 14, which is ironically Valentine’s Day.
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