By James Nyirenda
A 32-year-old man Harare man, Simbarashe Machipisa, has been accused of murdering a 2-year-old child, the son of his former partner. The horrifying event occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, August 21, at a home in the Danga area of Zengeza 1, Chitungwiza. It is believed Machipisa murdered the child as revenge for the man’s arrest following the issuance of a protection order against him recently at the courts.
In a statement the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) said, “Machipisa allegedly strangled the young child and violently slammed the child’s head against the floor multiple times, leading to the child’s death.”
Machipisa, popularly known as “Mabhutsu” due to his love for martial arts, is said to have arrived at his ex-lover’s house in her absence at around 6 am Wednesday and the child’s mother was away for the night and was given access to the house by his lover’s teenage daughter who was in the company of her sibling aged 15 and the now deceased 2-year-old brother.
Once inside, Machipisa sat on the sofa and called the little boy over. The child, innocent and oblivious of Machipisa’s intentions approached him without hesitation while his sister had gone to the bedroom to get ready for her holiday school lessons at a nearby school. When she returned to the living room, she was horrified to find Machipisa choking her younger brother.
“Machipisa then began violently bashing the boy’s head against the floor, causing the child to foam at the mouth. Realizing she couldn’t save her brother from Machipisa’s deadly assault, the teenager rushed to get help. Neighbors quickly intervened and managed to pull the toddler away from Machipisa.”
Tragically, it was too late. The child was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
Neighbors restrained Machipisa and effected a citizen arrest on him until the police arrived who took into custody at St. Mary’s Police Station. The body of the deceased child was taken to the Chitungwiza Central Hospital mortuary.
Sources indicate that Machipisa, who lived just a short distance from the scene of the murder at Number 7 Mukomberwa Street in Zengeza 1, had been in a relationship with Nomsa Sengwe, the 32-year-old mother of the deceased boy. Their relationship, which lasted about 14 months, ended when Sengwe sought a peace order against Machipisa due to his violent behavior.
In a separate incident, police in Chitungwiza are also investigating the murder of an unidentified man found in St. Mary’s. The victim, who was discovered with a head injury in an open field near a church cemetery on Tuesday, August 20, was wearing a brown t-shirt, blue jeans, a brown leather belt, and blue socks at the time of his death.
These tragic events have sent shockwaves through the Chitungwiza community, and the police are urging anyone with information to come forward to assist with the investigations.
