CHINHOYI – CRIMES of passion are committed resulting from mental illness, drug
abuse, infidelity and disputes.

The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) hosted a recent discussion on crimes of
passion and how to curtail the challenge, ahead of the 16 days of Activism against
Gender Based Violence.

The community discussion featured Seppy Ndlovu, who is a legal officer of the
Zimbabwe Women’s Legal Association (ZWLA), Unity Feremenga, who is a gender
based violence survivor and Rutendo Mudarikwa from the Zimbabwe Prisons and
Correctional Services (ZPCS).

Seppy Ndlovu from ZWLA suggested that there is a very thin line between domestic
violence/ gender based violence and crimes of passion, but that a lot of people,
particularly victims, try to differentiate the two.

She also said that domestic violence cases are actually the ones that mature into
crimes of passion, driven by emotions and feelings.

There are a number of reasons why crimes of passion are committed. Some of these
reason include mental illness, drug abuse, infidelity and disputes, among others.
Rutendo Mudarikwa presented on the motion, “saka tichaita sei” and this question
was mainly directed at the media and the community on how to stop gender based
crimes of passion committed against men and women.

As a solution, both Mudarikwa and Ndlovu urged communities not to entertain even
the smallest of the physical abuses against them, even the littlest slap as these may
grow and mature into serious beatings with the serious beating maturing in to
killings.

They likened domestic violence crimes of passion to small ring worms saying they
need to be treated before the fully mature into big ulcers that may cause harm to a
person.

Although the invitation was also extend to the police, they did not attend the meeting,
they were however urged to treat gender based violence cases with urgency and on
the spot.

Perpetrators and abusers need to be incarcerated with immediate effect when there
is a gender based violence or domestic violence report, for the safety of the victims
because some may not be fortunate enough to survive until the next day.

Some women are being killed in the process of trying to work things out after being
instructed by the police to go back home and work thing out, Ndlovu attested to
being a witness of one such case. The woman was turned away after reporting her
case to the police. The following day, she was found dead, killed by her husband.

Recently in Chinhoyi, Bwanali Bwanado killed his wife after he found her with her
boyfriend in their matrimonial home. Reports say this had been happening for a long
time and he slaughtered her stabbing her and cutting her countless times until she
died. This is an example of a crime of passion.

Mudarikwa suggested that people have to attend counselling and anger
management sessions in order to fight against crimes of passion.