By Marsha Sengwe

A 57-year-old Joking 08 woman in Shamva killed her husband recently over a solar inverter.

Esther Bwanaushe and her husband, Enoch Mazvidza, 52, had been drinking home brewed beer,  *chi one day* when a misunderstanding erupted over the inverter.

According to Sergeant Major Samuel Chikasha, ZRP Mashonaland Central deputy spokesperson, the dispute began when Mazvidza asked Bwanaushe to retrieve the inverter from their married daughter, who was using it.

A heated argument escalated into a deadly scuffle. Mazvidza grabbed a wooden stick and struck Bwanaushe once. In self-defense, Bwanaushe picked up a stone and hit Mazvidza on the forehead, knocking him unconscious.

A fellow villager rushed Mazvidza to Shamva hospital, stopping to report the incident to ZRP Shamva along the way. Meanwhile, Bwanaushe fled the scene.

Tragically, on November 2, while police were searching for Bwanaushe, they learned that Mazvidza had succumbed to his injuries. His burial arrangements were already underway.

This incident casts a somber shadow over Zimbabwe’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. The government’s efforts to combat GBV supported by many other women’s rights advocating grouos such as the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe, are undermined by such senseless acts.

Esther and Enoch’s children now face a daunting reality: growing up without a mother or father.

Had the couple controlled their tempers, they might still be together, working and enjoying life as a family. Instead, their impulsive actions have left an irreversible scar.

New Ziana