Family brutally murders daughter's mother-in-law

FIVE family members were arrested for fatally assaulting their daughter's mother-in-law for chasing their daughter away when her husband was in South Africa.

This was after the late woman's son committed suicide after she asked him to marry her when he queried her decision to chase his wife without consulting him.

The five family members also accused the mother-in-law, Musa Makotore (39), of raising the spirit of her son, Elium Muhlakanise, to haunt his wife's family.

The incident occurred in Village 3, Muzhanjire, Chief Neshuro in Mwenezi last week when the five accused persons Zakaria Zibikwa, Misheck Zibikwa, Mary Zibikwa, Enias Zibikwa and Eunice Simandete teamed up at around 9pm and went to the now deceased's home and assaulted her to death.

The five appeared before Masvingo magistrate, Mr Timeon Makunde, sitting on circuit at the Mwenezi district magistrate's court where they were charged with murder as defined in section 47 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.

They were all remanded in custody to 21 March.

The State case as presented by the prosecutor, Mr Willard Chasi, was that sometime in 2007, Ruth got married to Elium who was Musa Makotore's son. Elium however, left his wife at home with her mother and went to seek employment in South Africa.

He told the court that while Elium was in South Africa, Makotore influenced Elton - her other son who is Elium's younger brother to sleep with Ruth. She allegedly gave them a bedroom at the home and Ruth became pregnant.

It was the State case that in 2008 Elium came back from South Africa and found Ruth already with Elton's baby.

When Elium disclosed to his mother that he was not happy with what had happened and wanted to divorce Ruth so that she could stay with Elton, the mother Makotore, pacified the matter and influenced Elium to accept Ruth as his wife.

Mr Chasi told the court that Elium accepted and stayed with his wife. He however went back to South Africa and again left his wife with his mother while Elton was not at home.

The court further heard that when he came back in 2011, he found his wife had been chased away from home by his mother. When he inquired why she decided to chase his wife away when in the first place she refused him to divorce her when she cheated on him with his young brother, she told him that if he wanted a wife to sleep with, he could simply take her as she was still young and prepared.

This did not go down well with Elium who went and hanged himself and it was later revealed Makotore chased away Ruth after she refused to sleep with Elton when Elium had gone back to South Africa.

It is alleged Makotore was not happy with Elium marrying Ruth as she was said to be claiming that Elium was her husband and therefore Ruth was supposed to be married to Elton.

The accused persons, the court heard, were claiming that sickness had befallen their family and prophets they had visited were claiming that it was Elium's spirit that was being raised by the now deceased Makotore to make them pay seven beasts as an apology for their daughter who bore a child with another man while married.

The accused persons then approached Makotore armed with Mopani logs and found him with Elton and forced them into a discussion. During the course of the discussion, the accused became violent and attacked the two who ran away but Makotore could not go far before she was caught and they took turns to bash her all over the body with the logs.

The court heard that they left her half dead and lying in a pool of blood where she died shortly afterwards. His body was discovered lying in the coagulation of her blood and a report was made to the police leading to the arrest of the five accused persons.