Man axes stepmother, sets her on fire

A 20-year-old man from Lupane has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for murdering his 72-year-old stepmother in a violent attack over cooking oil, in a case the High Court described as exceptionally cruel.

Sibongiseni Mpofu was found guilty of killing Christine Ncube at her homestead in Chief Mabhikwa area on May 17, 2025, before setting her on fire.

The High Court sitting in Hwange heard that Mpofu struck the elderly woman with an axe during a dispute after she declined to give him cooking oil. He then allegedly poured an accelerant on her and set her ablaze.

The court was told that Mpofu later called his brother, Siyabonga Mpofu, informing him that he had killed their relative and instructing him to go to the scene.

Relatives rushed to the homestead and found the victim with severe head injuries and extensive burns. She was admitted to hospital but succumbed to her injuries about a month later.

Medical reports presented in court detailed severe burns across multiple parts of her body and complications including infection and organ failure. The cause of death was recorded as complications arising from petrol burns and assault.

Justice Evangelista Kabasa noted that the State's case was strongly supported by witness testimony from family members and physical evidence, including blood stains and traces of fuel at the scene. The victim's identification of her attacker before her death was admitted as a dying declaration.

Mpofu denied the charge, claiming the victim accidentally fell into fire, but the court rejected his version as inconsistent and unreliable.

In sentencing, the judge condemned the attack as brutal and senseless, saying the accused had "snuffed out" the life of an elderly woman who had been blessed with long life.

The case has drawn attention in the region due to its extreme violence and the circumstances surrounding the dispute, which escalated from a domestic disagreement into a fatal assault.