Two-year-old 'killed' in co-wives' shopping roster row

A woman is accusing her husband's first wife of smashing her two-year-old son's head against a rock in a fit of jealousy, leading to his death.

Villagers in Mwenezi told The Chronicle the boy sustained a fractured skull and died on admission to Masvingo General Hospital on Saturday.

They said Beaven Shumba, 2, was found with a deformed skull.

He had been left with Felistas Chauke, 19, the woman who is now being accused of killing him.

Speaking at Masvingo General Hospital on Saturday, Dadirai Tomo, 34, said she suspected Chauke killed her son because she was angry that their husband had taken her for shopping.

"I'm convinced that Chauke is the one who killed my son. She smashed my son against a hard surface which could be a rock given the injuries that he sustained. Chauke should be arrested for murdering my son. We always fight over (Isaac) Dziva (their husband) but I never expected her to kill my son," said Tomo.

"It can't be a coincidence two days after I had a fight with someone that my son dies in this manner. It could be jealousy because I had gone for shopping with Dziva," said a heavily pregnant Tomo.

Village head Naison Madhiri said the incident occurred on Saturday at around 9AM.

"I can confirm receiving a report on the death of a boy aged two. It's a suspected murder case and we're all waiting for a post-mortem to be done. The husband of the two women, Isaac Dziva, 61, has told me of the tragedy," said Madhiri.

He said villagers were shocked by the family's reluctance to make a police report.

"This occurred in a polygamous family where there are two wives who are jealous of each other and have a history of fighting. We'll wait for the police and post-mortem report because there are indications that the boy's head could've been smashed against a hard surface given its swollen state," he said.

Dziva said he was at a loss for words.

He said the boy had been healthy when he left him sleeping with his brother.

Dziva confirmed the "turf war" between his two wives but said he never expected the rivalry to end in tragedy.

"On Saturday at around 4AM, I woke up with my second wife, Tomo, going to Neshuro Business centre where we intended to buy some groceries for use at home. The previous night I had slept at my first wife, Felistas Chauke's hut," said Dziva.

He said just before mid morning, while still shopping, they received the sad news.

"At around 10AM, I received a phone call from Chauke informing me that Beaven wasn't feeling well. We rushed back home only to find the boy breathing heavily and took him to Neshuro Hospital where he was referred to Masvingo," he said.

Dziva said, he remained behind while Tomo took the child to Masvingo General Hospital but received a call at around 1PM that he had died.

"The child is my second wife's, not mine as we don't have a child together apart from the pregnancy she is carrying," he added.

"The two women are always fighting that on Thursday last week I had to restrain them when they nearly harmed each other with weapons. Their fights have become a common phenomenon as is usual in polygamous marriages, but I don't think this could be the consequence of Chauke's jealousy."

Dziva said although he also suspected foul play, his hands were tied because he was not the boy's biological father.

"I'll wait for guidance from my in-laws. When I talked to one of them yesterday, they suggested that police should be involved," he said.