Man stabs wife over new shoes

A 36–YEAR-OLD Gweru man has appeared in court for stabbing his wife with a knife after suspecting that a new pair of shoes she brought home had been bought by her boyfriend.

Samuel Chitopo from Mkoba suburb, Gweru, appeared before Magistrate Tayengwa Chibanda facing attempted murder charges. He was remanded in custody to June 10 after pleading guilty.

Chitopo told the court that his wife has a boyfriend and he suspected that the shoes that she had brought home were bought by that man. "Your Worship I stabbed her with a knife on her right shoulder after she failed to explain where she got the new shoes that she brought home. Also she once put her boyfriend on her WhatsApp profile picture and blocked my number," said Chitopo.

Prosecuting, Langton Magara, said on May 3 this year, Ellen Masaire came back home at around 9PM with a new pair of shoes. Chitopo asked her where she had got them from, but she ignored him and proceeded to their bedroom to sleep.

This did not go well with her husband who went to the kitchen, took a knife and stabbed Masaire on her shoulder. Following the stabbing, Masaire phoned her mother who reported the matter to the police, leading to Chitopo's arrest that night. Masaire was referred to Gweru Provincial Hospital for treatment and the medical report was produced in court as evidence.