Mental patient (70) burnt to death in hut

A 70-YEAR-OLD suspected mentally-challenged woman was burnt to death after her hut caught fire in Sadza, Mashonaland East province last weekend.

Faina Mukundwa of Chiminya village, under Chief Neshangwe was living alone. Her body was transferred to Sadza District Hospital for post-mortem.

Mashonaland East provincial police spokesperson Inspector Tendai Mwanza confirmed the incident and urged people to strengthen family bonds to avoid such incidences.

"I confirm the death of an elderly woman in Sadza, who was burnt to death on April 6. The woman was living alone. We urge people to respect family ties so that such incidences should be avoided. We are currently investigating the cause of the fire," he said.

According to police, on Saturday, at around midnight, Cain Magwenzi (39) was at a memorial service in the same village when he saw a flame emanating from the deceased's house.

Magwenzi and other villagers rushed to the homestead and discovered that the deceased's hut was on fire. The villagers managed to douse the fire and discovered Mukundwa's charred body.

The matter was reported to police who attended the scene and retrieved the body.