A Bulawayo woman who knifed her “adulterous” husband in cold blood after she allegedly overheard him telling his mother that he had sired a child out of wedlock has been jailed for an effective 17 years. Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Maxwell Takuva convicted Elizabeth Mbulayi, 28, of Nketa suburb of murder with constructive intent.
Mbulayi through her pro-deo lawyer, Wish Ndongwe of Mashayamombe and Company, had pleaded not guilty to the charge and tendered a limited plea of guilty to a lesser charge of culpable homicide.
Mbulayi, who had spent Christmas Day in 2013, drinking beer with her husband Simbarashe Denhere, fatally stabbed him once in the chest with a kitchen knife in the early hours of Boxing Day.
In his judgment, Justice Takuva disputed Mbulayi’s testimony, saying it was fraught with inconsistencies and lies to cover up her actions. The judge said no person deserves to die for having an extra marital affair.
“You actually used a lethal weapon and applied excessive force to push into your husband’s chest and subsequently killing him in a senseless murder. No one deserves to die for having an extra marital affair and we’re saying it’s unlawful to enforce sexual morality through violence,” said Justice Takuva.
The judge sad although the courts did not condone infidelity, they have a duty to protect the sanctity of human life.
“The courts have a duty to protect the sanctity of human life by punishing people who take the law into their own hands. You changed from a lover into a killer when you killed a person you loved demonstrating that there’s a thin line between love and hate,” he said.
“Just as people freely fall in love, they should also freely exit marriage through divorce or terminate their relationship instead of terminating life. The courts have a duty to educate the public that it’s unlawful to enforce sexual morality through violence,” said Justice Takuva.
Mbulayi, in her defence, claimed that Denhere provoked her by beating her with a fan stand and she failed to control herself due to anger. Mbulayi and Denhere had no child from their five-year union.
Prosecuting, Nokuthaba Ngwenya, said on Christmas Day in 2013, Mbulayi and Denhere left their home shortly after 8AM for Old Pumula where Denhere intended to have his company car repaired.
The court was told that soon after leaving the car, the couple went to a local beer garden.
The court heard that at around 1AM, the couple went home and had a dispute. Mbulayi grabbed a knife and plunged it into Denhere’s chest. State Media