Woman jailed 2 years for husband murder

Fidelis Munyoro

A pregnant woman was thrown behind bars for an effective two years for culpable homicide after she fatally stabbed her husband who was caught being intimate with a married woman in a bush.

Precious Machivenyika was facing a charge of murdering his husband Tichaona Chikonje but was convicted of the lesser charge after a full trial before High Court judge, Justice Munamato Mutevedzi.

The judge sentenced Machivenyika to five years in prison of which three years were suspended on condition of good behavior.

Machivenyika stabbed her husband, Tichaona Chikonje, who was trying to prevent her from committing suicide over the deceased infidelity.

Chikonje was caught red-handed being intimate with Fungai Nyamurenje on June 24 last year at Iron Mask Farm, Mazowe.

Nyamurenje’s husband managed to contain his anger before telling Machivenyika, who was pregnant at the time, of the illicit affair.

Machivenyika confronted him over the infidelity, which he did not deny. She attempted to commit suicide by ingesting paraquat.

She took an okapi knife intending to kill herself. Chikonje followed his wife in a bid to restrain her and the two wrestled before he was stabbed on the thigh in the melee.

He bled profusely until he collapsed.

He was taken to Concession Hospital where he died upon admission.

A post-mortem indicated that Chikonje died due to hemorrhagic shock from the stab wound.

In her defense, Machivenyika said she had no intention of killing her husband and just wanted him to let go of her so that she could commit suicide.

In passing sentence, Justice Mutevedzi found that the attack on the deceased occurred in the heat of the moment, noting that Machivenyika wanted to commit suicide while the deceased was bent on preventing her from doing so.

“That she directed the stab at the deceased’s leg when she could have easily targeted more vulnerable and more dangerous parts of the body illustrates her sincerity in that she did not intend to kill him, but to merely extricate herself from his grip,” said Justice Mutevedzi.