A Gweru man  who butchered his wife, by stabbing her 27 times before fleeing the murder scene was yesterday sentenced to death by hanging.

Dignity Masvimbo (26) of Winery Compound, Greenvale, Gweru, was convicted of murder with actual intent by Bulawayo High Court Judge Justice Nokuthula Moyo on circuit in Gweru.

In passing sentence, Bulawayo High Court Judge Justice Nokuthula Moyo said Masvimbo’s conduct was unpardonable as he had butchered his wife in a manner even animals would frown upon.

She said Masvimbo pre-planned the murder before embarking on a 20km journey to the deceased’s place at night and without an appointment with the sole motive of killing her.

Details to the case are that in April, Dignity Masvimbo sought revenge against her wife of five years, Oripa Gapare (22)  after she left him for her parents’ house following domestic problems.

Masvimbo had then followed her, in an attempt to bring Oripa and their daughter back home but her parents had refused saying he should pay lobola first.

Masvimbo  failed to pay the lobola since he didn’t have the money and Oripa stayed with her family.

In his statement, Masvimbo said he later started hearing rumours that his wife was cheating on him with several men, a development he said troubled him very much.

He said he then decided to kill her by stabbing her so that she feels his pain of living without her and their daughter.

“So I thought of stabbing her to death with a knife to inflict pain on her for causing me pain also,” he said.

On April 26, Masvimbo said he took a knife and wore his clothes and an overall on top before embarking on a 16km journey on foot, from Winery in Greenvale suburb to Mkoba 14 suburb to kill Oripa.

He said when he got to her parents’ house at around 5AM, he found his mother-in-law Mrs Alice Mashayamombe walking on the road looking for transport to go to town.

The woman was going to the market as she is a vendor.

Masvimbo said he pretended to be tying his shoe laces so that Mrs Mashayamombe would not recognise him.

“She passed by me as I was pretending to tie my shoes. I got to the house and peeped through the window and saw that there was no one in the dining room. I then opened the dining room door which wasn’t locked, entered the room and sat on the sofa,” he said.

He said Oripa’s grandmother woke up and asked who was in the dining room.

Masvimbo said he responded, telling her that it was him.

“Oripa woke up and came to see me. I asked her to accompany me outside so that we could talk. I took a cellphone that was on the charger and switched it off. We went outside the house with Oripa. I asked her if she could go with me to my house so that she can collect her belongings but she refused. I stabbed her in the abdomen on the right side, in the neck and went on to stab her on her hands several times before she fell down,” he said.

Masvimbo said he removed his overall that was drenched with Oripa’s blood and threw it on the road as he ran away from the scene.

-Chronicle/additional Zimeye