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Woman found buried in garden, stepdaughter arrested
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For four long months, the Dube family of Magotsha Village, Tsholotsho, lived with a haunting question: Where is Jennifer?
Jennifer Dube, a mother of one and widow of the late liberation war hero Isaac Mzimela, vanished on May 2. On September 2, her decomposed body was discovered in a shallow grave in her own garden — bound with wires and wrapped in cloth.
The shocking discovery came after an anonymous tip-off to local traditional leader Headman Mazibisa, who immediately alerted the police.
"The caller told me Nkosi had confessed to killing Jennifer and burying her in the garden. I reported it at once," the headman said.
Police dug less than a metre into the ground and unearthed her remains, confirming villagers' worst fears.
Jennifer's aunt, Monica Nsingo, linked the killing to long-running inheritance disputes.
"Linna [Mzimela], Isaac's daughter from his first marriage, and her siblings always clashed with their stepmother over his retirement package and rent from a Bulawayo house," Nsingo said.
She recalled that when Jennifer disappeared, Linna claimed her stepmother had gone to Lupane to renew her passport. "We waited for her return, but she never came back," she said.
Police arrested Linna Mzimela in Bulawayo on Wednesday after she allegedly tried to hand over her child's uniforms to her sister. She was taken to Tsholotsho Police Station and later brought to her father's homestead, where investigators said she had buried Jennifer.
Her boyfriend, only identified as Nkosi, is still on the run.
Jennifer's burial drew hundreds of mourners, including Zanu-PF Senators Alice Dube (Tsholotsho) and Molly Mpofu (Bulawayo).
"We are here to bury our late comrade's wife, who was killed in a very chilling manner," Mpofu said.
Headman Mazibisa said the case underscored the need for villagers to report disappearances quickly. "When a villager goes missing, it must be reported immediately to both police and traditional leaders," he stressed.
For Jennifer's relatives, the arrest brings some closure — but the sense of betrayal lingers.
"To lose her at the hands of family is something we may never heal from," Nsingo said quietly.
Nkosi remains at large as police continue their search.
Jennifer Dube, a mother of one and widow of the late liberation war hero Isaac Mzimela, vanished on May 2. On September 2, her decomposed body was discovered in a shallow grave in her own garden — bound with wires and wrapped in cloth.
The shocking discovery came after an anonymous tip-off to local traditional leader Headman Mazibisa, who immediately alerted the police.
"The caller told me Nkosi had confessed to killing Jennifer and burying her in the garden. I reported it at once," the headman said.
Police dug less than a metre into the ground and unearthed her remains, confirming villagers' worst fears.
Jennifer's aunt, Monica Nsingo, linked the killing to long-running inheritance disputes.
"Linna [Mzimela], Isaac's daughter from his first marriage, and her siblings always clashed with their stepmother over his retirement package and rent from a Bulawayo house," Nsingo said.
She recalled that when Jennifer disappeared, Linna claimed her stepmother had gone to Lupane to renew her passport. "We waited for her return, but she never came back," she said.
Police arrested Linna Mzimela in Bulawayo on Wednesday after she allegedly tried to hand over her child's uniforms to her sister. She was taken to Tsholotsho Police Station and later brought to her father's homestead, where investigators said she had buried Jennifer.
Her boyfriend, only identified as Nkosi, is still on the run.
Jennifer's burial drew hundreds of mourners, including Zanu-PF Senators Alice Dube (Tsholotsho) and Molly Mpofu (Bulawayo).
"We are here to bury our late comrade's wife, who was killed in a very chilling manner," Mpofu said.
Headman Mazibisa said the case underscored the need for villagers to report disappearances quickly. "When a villager goes missing, it must be reported immediately to both police and traditional leaders," he stressed.
For Jennifer's relatives, the arrest brings some closure — but the sense of betrayal lingers.
"To lose her at the hands of family is something we may never heal from," Nsingo said quietly.
Nkosi remains at large as police continue their search.
Source - The Chronicle
