By Nomusa Sibanda
A 34-year-old man from Katshana village in Lupane, Matabeleland Province, has been sentenced to an effective 19 years in prison for the murder of his wife following a domestic dispute.
Khulekani Mpofu appeared before Bulawayo High Court, where Justice Evangelista Kabasa handed down the sentence during the first term of the High Court at Hwange Magistrates’ Court.
Gender-based violence (GBV) continues to haunt Zimbabwe, with roughly one in three women aged 15-49 having experienced physical or sexual violence despite spirited efforts by government and woman organisations to stop the scourge.
Mpofu had been charged with murder for fatally stabbing his estranged wife, Valentine Sibanda, at their homestead following a dispute.
According to the State, led by Martha Cheda, the incident occurred on September 2, last year at around 2am.
Mpofu entered the deceased’s bedroom hut and attacked her with a kitchen knife, stabbing her multiple times all over her body.
The victim screamed for help, and Sisasenkosi Mpofu, her cousin and neighbour, heard the cries.
She immediately alerted the village head, Joshua Moyo. When members of the Moyo family proceeded to investigate, they saw Mpofu fleeing the scene in the opposite direction but still holding the knife.
One family member, Smiling Moyo, peered into the bedroom and found Valentine Sibanda lying face down in a pool of blood, naked and lifeless.
The police were called to the scene, and Mpofu later handed himself over, leading to his arrest.
During sentencing, the court considered the brutality of the crime and the circumstances surrounding the attack, which stemmed from a personal misunderstanding between the estranged couple.
Justice Kabasa emphasised the seriousness of the offence and the need for the sentence to serve as a deterrent for similar acts of domestic violence in the community.
While Mpofu was successfully prosecuted for femicide, it is widely acknowledged that many cases go unreported. High-risk factors leading to intimate partner femicide include jealousy, the victim attempting to leave the relationship, and stalking.
Stakeholders are now including boys in their messages in the fight against domestic violence as they believe that they too need to know from an early age that violence against women is not being a man.
