A 31-year-old Harare man, Collen Jamu, has been jailed for 15 years for murdering his ex-girlfriend, ZBC News reported.
Jamu reportedly accused the 17-year-old Mitchel Chipere of cheating with another man.
Allegations:
The state told the court that on 17 June 2015, Jamu followed her girlfriend who was residing at her parent’s place of residence, house number 2330 in Glen Norah A and struck her with a metal hoe on the head several times after accusing her of infidelity.
Shortly before the murder, she had a stillbirth that prompted her to return to stay with her parents while recovering from the loss.
Chipere allegedly wanted to end their relationship, but Jamu failed to stomach the rejection.
After the murder, Jamu inserted Chipere’s body under the bed and locked the door from inside and escaped through the window, taking advantage of her parent’s absence.
When the trial opened before High Court Judge, Justice Munamato Mutevedzi, Jamu tried to exonerate himself by submitting that it was difficult for him to stay without Chipere since she was everything in his life.
Justice Mutevedzi ruled that it is unfortunate that Jamu’s acts of envy, lust and jealousy resulted in the loss of life and cannot be undone, hence a 15-year jail sentence will send a correct message to would-be offenders.
Meanwhile, the minimum age of marriage is 18 years for both girls and boys, according to the Marriages Act. It is, therefore, a crime to marry off a child and anyone involved in that is supposed to be prosecuted. It is a substantial crime if the parents or guardians are involved.