Brutal spade murder shocks Mhondoro-Ngezi

The High Court of Zimbabwe has sentenced a 30-year-old man from Mhondoro-Ngezi to 25 years in prison for the brutal murder of his partner in a case that exposed a history of domestic violence and left a three-year-old child orphaned.

Elias Tasiyana was convicted by Justice Catherine Bachi-Mzawazi for killing the woman he lived with during a violent attack at Tasiyana village in Bumbe in the early hours of July 6, 2025.

The court heard that the couple, who shared a young child, had lived together for several years after meeting in the Ngezi mining area, where Tasiyana worked as a small-scale chrome miner.

According to court proceedings, the accused struck the woman repeatedly with a spade inside their one-room home, leaving her lying in a pool of blood.

Justice Mzawazi dismissed Tasiyana's defence that the death occurred accidentally during a struggle involving an alleged lover, describing his account as fabricated and inconsistent.

"The weapon used, the multiplicity of the blows, the force used, the depth and extent of the injuries and the part of the body the blows were aimed at cumulatively points not towards legal intention but actual intention," the judge ruled.

The court found that the accused's claims about an intruder only surfaced during the trial and had never been mentioned to police, relatives or villagers immediately after the killing.

Crucial evidence came from Tasiyana's mother, Juliana Tasiyana, who testified that she heard the deceased screaming for help shortly before dawn.

When she rushed to the room, she found the door locked from inside. After it was opened, she discovered the woman lying lifeless on the floor while her son stood nearby naked and agitated.

The court ruled that there was no evidence supporting the existence of another man inside the room.

Medical evidence also contradicted Tasiyana's version of events.

An autopsy revealed severe skull and body injuries consistent with repeated heavy blows delivered with substantial force. The court found the wounds could not have resulted from an accidental strike or fall.

The judgment further revealed a disturbing pattern of domestic abuse within the relationship.

According to victim impact evidence presented in court, the deceased had previously suffered assaults and had reportedly filed police complaints against Tasiyana before eventually returning to live with him.

"This is the height of domestic violence perpetrated on women victims, vulnerable persons," Justice Mzawazi said.

The judge described the killing as cold-blooded and noted that the accused showed no remorse during the proceedings.

Particularly tragic, the court said, was that the murder occurred in the presence of the couple's three-year-old child.

"The offence was committed in the presence of a three-year-old child who has not only been orphaned but inevitably traumatised," the judge said.

Following the murder, Tasiyana reportedly consumed poison in an apparent suicide attempt and later escaped from lawful custody before being recaptured.

The court viewed both actions as further evidence of guilt.

In sentencing him, Justice Mzawazi strongly condemned domestic violence and emphasised the sanctity of human life.

"Life is sacrosanct. No one is entitled to expend life other than the giver of life, the Creator himself," she said.

Tasiyana was convicted on the basis of actual intent to kill, known in law as dolus directus, and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment.