DUMP ME, YOU DIE! Nurse brutally killed for quitting adulterous relationship Donkey abattoir raises police, govt concerns
A NURSE based in Nkayi district, Matabeleland North province, was allegedly murdered by her married lover after she ended their five-year adulterous relationship.
Tawanda Mahohoma (50) used an iron bar to assault Ms Brilliant Ngwenya (33) all over the body and thereafter bashed her head several times with a brick. She died on the spot.
The incident occurred at around 4PM on Tuesday outside Ms Ngwenya’s house at Nkayi Business Centre.
Matabeleland North police spokesperson Inspector Siphiwe Makonese confirmed the murder.
“I can confirm that we received a report of murder. A woman was struck several times all over her body with some object. She was also bashed several times on the head with a brick until she died. Police have since arrested the suspect and he is expected to appear in court soon to answer to murder charges,” she said.
Insp Makonese urged members of the public to desist from engaging in violence to resolve disputes.
“People need to learn to resolve their differences amicably without resorting to violence. As police we are worried that despite all these warnings, people still attack each other resulting in deaths. People should engage the police, church elders or family members to assist in resolving disputes as opposed to resorting to violence,” she said.
A source close to Ms Ngwenya said the two had allegedly been in a relationship for about five years.
The source said on the fateful day, Mahohoma visited Ms Ngwenya at around 4PM.
Ms Ngwenya, a trained nurse from Hwange district, got a job in May this year and was deployed to Nkayi district.
Mahohoma’s Tuesday visit was the second in less than a week after he visited Ms Ngwenya mid last week and that is when she informed him that they could not continue with the affair because she had established that he was married.
Mahohoma is said to have turned violent prompting Ms Ngwenya to seek a peace order which she was granted.
On Saturday, Mahohoma returned to his family which is in Hwange town only to return on Tuesday when he allegedly murdered Ms Ngwenya.
The source said Ms Ngwenya was about to leave her house when she met Mahohoma who then attacked her without saying a word. He allegedly assaulted her all over the body with an iron bar before bashing her head several times with a brick and she died on the spot.
Nkayi District Medical Officer Dr Thabani Moyo said Ms Ngwenya had just knocked off when she was murdered.
“We are told a passerby tried to intervene but Mahohoma was too powerful for him. Seeing that he wouldn’t back off, the passerby rushed to the police station and reported the matter. By the time police arrived, Mahohoma had fled from the scene.
Police however caught up with him while looking for lifts along Nkayi Road and arrested him,” said Dr Moyo.
He said Ms Ngwenya was undergoing an induction at Nkayi district hospital before moving to Fansoni Council Clinic where she had been deployed.
Members of staff close to Ms Ngwenya said they saw Mahohoma whom they knew as her boyfriend earlier on the fateful day carrying a metal bar saying he was looking for Ms Ngwenya.
They said at one time they spotted him drinking beer at a bar at Nkayi Business Centre.—@winnie_ masara THE Government and the police have expressed reservations on the opening of a donkey abattoir in Umguza amid fears that the meat might be sold locally.
A local company, Battlefront Investments is building a $150 000 donkey abattoir, the first in the country that will have the capacity to dress more than 70 animals a day.
Recently, the company’s managing director Mr Gareth Lumsden said their abattoir is set to be completed by end of this month.
He said they have since started buying donkeys for slaughter.
Yesterday, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister responsible for Livestock, Cde Paddy Zhanda said eating donkey meat is taboo in Zimbabwe and from a Government point of view, they want assurance that the donkey meat would not find its way into the local market.
The Deputy Minister said this during a visit to the abattoir with a delegation that included Ministry officials and members of the Police Anti-Stock Theft Unit.
“There is a lobby group that is totally against this abattoir and Government’s position is that donkey meat cannot be consumed in Zimbabwe. We therefore want assurance that this donkey meat will not find its way into local butcheries,” said Cde Zhanda.
He said members of the public wanted Government to protect them from the risk of consuming donkey meat without their knowledge.
“We therefore have an obligation to put measures in place to ensure donkey meat is not sold in local butcheries.
The National co-coordinator of the police anti stock theft Senior Assistant Commissioner Erasmus Makodza said many farmers had raised concern after learning of the planned opening of the donkey abattoir. He said farmers feel that their donkeys would be stolen. “Generally when we are on our ordinary awareness campaigns we deal with livestock farmers.
‘‘Farmers are now worried that there will be an upsurge in thefts of donkeys,” said Snr Ass Comm Makodza.
He said there was also concern that some meat would find its way to the local market.
A representative of the company said they were eying a ready market in China and no donkey meat will find its way into the local market.
Yesterday’s visit by the Deputy Minister and his delegation to the abattoir comes a week after animal conservationists criticised the planned slaughter of donkeys for commercial purposes.
The conservationists made the remarks in a joint statement by Aware Trust Zimbabwe, Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Zimbabwe, Lupane Youth for Development Trust, the Zimbabwe National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Spana.
“It is with grave concern that the above organisations have learned about the proposed donkey abattoir in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe. We would like to highlight the possible socioeconomic, animal welfare and environmental consequences that might result from such a venture, and enlighten the Zimbabwean public on the experience of other countries that have licensed donkey abattoirs in Africa. Given that the global donkey population is only 44 million, this insatiable demand is simply not sustainable,” the statement said.
“Zimbabwe has an estimated population of 150 000 donkeys, spread over the communal areas where they are an integral part of community life. The proposed abattoir in Matabeleland has an ability to process 70 animals per day. If supply met demand, using 300 working days per year, the population of donkeys could be decreased by 21 000 donkeys per year.”
The conservationists said housed in unhabituated groups, donkeys suffer from a stress-induced condition called hyperlipemia, which can kill them.
“There is no ethically acceptable method of intensively farming donkeys and the demand for the skin trade far exceeds the rate at which they can be produced. While some local farmers may benefit from the short-term sale of their donkeys, they are unlikely to be aware of the long-term consequences of this trade. The importance of the working donkey to communal farmers cannot be overstated,” the organisations added. — @ Kiyaz_Cool