A Bulawayo woman has been sentenced to serve a 25-year jail term at Chikurubi Female Prison in Harare after being convicted of murdering her husband on March 2, 2018.
Nomzamo Luhle Dube (34) of Pumula South in Bulawayo claimed that she stabbed her husband, Martin Luther Jabulani Ncube, with a kitchen knife after he arrived home late after a beer drink, The Herald reported.
Speaking during an interview at Chikurubi Female Prison, Dube said her late husband reportedly arrived home at around 1 am and knocked on their door.
She claimed that when she woke up and opened the door, her late husband started assaulting her accusing her of delaying opening the door. Dube added:
He kicked me all over the body during which he tripped and fell and at that point he picked a knife which was on the floor and tried to stab me.
Dube said she managed to take the knife from her husband and accidentally stabbed him in the chest.
This was contrary to what her daughter had told the court, resulting in her conviction of murder.
Her minor daughter gave the court a detailed testimony of how her mother incessantly attacked her stepfather, the now-deceased Martin, before she stabbed him as he pleaded for mercy.
She told the court that her mother later instructed her to open the door and when the deceased walked in, an altercation ensued between the two. The daughter told the court during trial:
My mother refused to open the door and he persistently pleaded with her to open, but she remained adamant.
When dad walked in, my mother immediately shouted at him before they went to the bedroom. I followed them and witnessed my mother indiscriminately punching dad on the face as he continuously pleaded with her to stop.
Throughout the scuffle, my dad never retaliated, but only pushed my mother resulting in her hitting against a wardrobe.
Dube was convicted of murder with actual intent by Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Maxwell Takuva and sentenced to 25 years in jail.
Death sentence:
The Constitution says those convicted of murder can be given a death sentence but women are protected from the sentence.
Explaining this situation, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi saidduring public consultations and a referendum, an overwhelming majority of people voted for retaining the death penalty. He added:
Resultantly, section 48 (2) of the Constitution permits the sentencing of men between the ages of 21 and 70 years if they are convicted of murder committed in aggravating circumstances.
Therefore, the sentence cannot be carried out on women and male persons who are under the age of 21 and over the age of 70 years.