A sombre funeral in Chitungwiza turned chaotic yesterday as mourners grappled with the tragic death of a two-year-old boy, Truth Maphosa, who was allegedly murdered by his mother’s jilted lover.
The incident has also sparked accusations of negligence against the child’s mother, Nomsa Sengwe.
The funeral was disrupted by Wadzanai Choto, a neighbour who accused Nomsa of negligence, demanding her arrest alongside Mabhutsu.
Choto claimed that Nomsa had repeatedly returned to Mabhutsu for money, despite his violent behaviour, and that she should be held accountable for leaving her children unsupervised, H-Metro has reported.
“Nomsa should also be arrested for leaving her children unattended while spending the night at her new lover. We want justice to be carried. Also she kept going back to Simba wanting money and this is what caused the whole issue and as such she should be arrested for neglecting the children,” Choto shouted as her voice echoed through the mourners.
The tragedy unfolded on Wednesday when Simbarashe Ashton Machipisa, 32, known as Mabhutsu, stormed into Nomsa’s home in Zengeza 5, enraged after finding her absent.
Nomsa, a hairdresser, had spent the night with her new boyfriend, leaving her five children, aged between four and fifteen, alone in the care of Mabhutsu.
Mabhutsu, a hwindi at Zengeza Shopping Centre, was reportedly consumed by jealousy after Nomsa ended their relationship. He had allegedly become increasingly violent, demanding to check her body for signs of infidelity and even assaulting her while she was naked.
Nomsa had sought a peace order against him, but he continued to stalk her and her new boyfriend.
“I regret falling in love with Simbarashe. He was too jealous and would undress me in front of my children demanding to check my private and check if I had been intimate elsewhere” Nomsa said.
When Mabhutsu arrived at the house, he found the children alone. In a fit of rage, he allegedly strangled Truth and slammed him against the wall, killing him in front of his siblings. Horrified neighbours rushed to the scene, finding Mabhutsu in the act.
“I found him slamming the child against the wall, I grabbed both his hands, dragged him outside and used a chain to tie them,” said one neighbour, who bravely intervened to protect the other children.
Mabhutsu was subsequently arrested by police, who took him back to the murder scene for indications before his court appearance today.
