A 31-YEAR-OLD woman from Lobengula suburb in Bulawayo who allegedly stabbed her 47-year-old live-in boyfriend to death following a dispute over late supper has appeared in court charged with murder.

Agrenna Chimala allegedly cold bloodedly murdered her boyfriend Mxolisi Sibanda who was self-employed as a builder. This was after she allegedly stabbed him with a kitchen knife once in the neck.

Agrenna was not formally charged with murder as defined in Section 47 (1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23 when she briefly appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Busani Sibanda who remanded her in custody to October 14.

The magistrate advised her to apply for bail at the High Court.

The court heard that on 27 September at around 12pm the now deceased and accused visited their friend McLean Dube at his place where they later had lunch together.

After having lunch they all went to Esiqongweni Tavern in Lobengula West to drink beer.
While drinking beer, the court heard that the now deceased received a phone call from his daughter who invited him to come to her house in Pumula South to collect a bag of mealie-meal.

The now deceased reportedly left the accused in the company of Dube. Before he left he reportedly advised them that he was going to phone Dube on his way back so that they could meet him at the intersection of Intemba and Luveve road and assist him carry the mealie-meal.

Soon after her boyfriend had left, Agrenna reportedly requested Dube to escort her to Masunda Shopping Centre in New Lobengula to buy mealie-meal.

After buying it, the two then went together to the now deceased and accused’s place. Upon arrival, the accused further asked Dube to go to one of the houses in the suburb to collect her sister’s child and bring him home.

Dube went and when he came back with the child, the court heard, he found the now deceased shouting at Agrenna while quizzing her why she didn’t come to meet him at the intersection of Intemba and Luveve road.

The now deceased also shouted at Dube also questioning him why he didn’t come to assist him carry the mealie-meal.

In response Dube defended himself saying it was because the now deceased had not phoned him as they had previously agreed before he left.

The court further heard that after that brief quarrel Dube and the now deceased left home and went back to Esiqongweni Tavern to continue with their booze.

It is alleged that on the same day and at around 8pm the now deceased and Dube arrived home from Esiqongweni and found the accused who had not cooked anything seated on the sofa.

That, however, didn’t go down well with the now deceased who asked her why she had not cooked but the accused reportedly didn’t answer him.

In a fit of anger, the now deceased reportedly shouted at her with vul_gar words and sensing danger Dube quickly went out of the house and proceeded to his place leaving behind the two parties arguing.

It is reported that the now deceased and accused continued shouting at each other until the verbal war degenerated into a fist fight.

At the height of the fight the now deceased reportedly took a hammer and at the same time the accused also took a kitchen knife.

It is yet to be proven that when the now deceased tried to hit his lover with it, she blocked it with one of her hands and in the process she allegedly stabbed him once in the neck.

The accused reportedly tried to render first aid to the now deceased who was now lying on the ground unconscious but with no success.

She then tried to open the door and she failed to do so after she didn’t locate the keys which had been taken by the now deceased who was not able to talk.

In a state of panic, she used the hammer to break the bedroom window and escaped through it before she rushed to Dube’s place.

Upon arrival she narrated to Dube what had happened, and without wasting time they rushed back to the house where they found the now deceased still alive but not able to talk.

They both left the house and went to ZRP Magwegwe to report the matter.

The police reportedly phoned an ambulance which upon arrival found Sibanda dead and that subsequently led to Agrenna’ arrest.

— BMetro