Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Commissioner and Midlands State University lecturer Dr Martin Muduva died after suffering severe head injuries during a violent domestic dispute at his home in Dzivarasekwa Extension, in Harare.
His wife, nurse Lyliosa Chirara, aged 43, also died after drinking rat poison moments after the attack. Muduva, who was a year younger than his wife, was taken to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in a critical condition but later died from his injuries.
The incident happened at about 12.20am on Wednesday, September 9, while the couple were reportedly in their bedroom. Early accounts indicate that an argument broke out over Muduva’s long-term relationship with another woman, Patience Mangwiro.
Mangwiro is described as the acting Director of Enterprise at Midlands State University. She and Muduva had reportedly been in a relationship for about five years and had a child together. At the weekend, Muduva paid lobola for Mangwiro in a traditional ceremony.
The ceremony became the focus of the dispute after photographs from the occasion appeared on social media. Muduva is said to have posted a “Roora Day” photograph on his WhatsApp status before later removing it. By then, Chirara had already seen the image.
According to her friend Nancy Tembo, the relationship had caused tension in the couple’s home for years. Tembo said Chirara had repeatedly spoken to her about the emotional strain caused by Muduva’s relationship with Mangwiro and the prospect of the couple becoming formally married.
“She used to share with me her challenges and, among them, was one about her husband’s girlfriend. She didn’t want to accept her as her husband’s second wife because of the way the lover had been provoking her,” Nancy said.
Tembo said the lobola ceremony brought the long-running dispute to a breaking point.
“When the husband paid lobola for the lover, he posted the ‘Roora Day’ picture on his status and that left her emotionally spent. She felt the pain and the situation escalated. The WhatsApp status provoked her and, although her husband later removed the status, the damage had already been done,” Nancy said.
The couple had three children together. One of them, their daughter Faith, is said to have been the first person to enter the bedroom after the attack. She reportedly found her father lying in a pool of blood on the bed.
Three deep cuts were seen on Muduva’s body, while an axe was found close to him. Fresh details from the scene indicate that he had suffered serious injuries to his head and right hand.
Faith also reportedly saw her mother writing in a book shortly before she collapsed. The book could not later be found. A sachet believed to have contained rat poison was discovered on the floor after Chirara fell unconscious.
“She saw her mother writing something in a book which she later failed to locate. Within some minutes, her mother collapsed and Faith discovered a rat poison satchet on the floor,” said a relative.
Faith alerted her aunt, and neighbours helped take both adults to a 24-hour medical centre. Chirara was pronounced dead on admission. Muduva was later transferred to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, where he died despite efforts to save him.
The couple’s bodies were taken to the Parirenyatwa mortuary for post-mortem examinations.
A neighbour said the attack may have happened while Muduva was asleep. Another account suggested that he had returned home after spending time at a bar in the neighbourhood.
Cecilia, a neighbour, said she was the last person to speak to him before he left the bar.
“I was shocked to hear that Commissioner Muduva was no more. He wasn’t used to joking with female drinkers but on Tuesday he was too excited, maybe because it was a goodbye,” Cecilia said.
Cecilia said Muduva bought beers for her and other women before leaving at about 11pm.
“He left the bar around 11pm going home only for us to be greeted this morning with bad news,” she said.
Another neighbour said there had been no previous reports of rats in the house, raising questions about when the poison was obtained. He also said the presence of the axe near the bed would form part of the investigation into the events inside the bedroom.
The deaths have left the couple’s children, relatives, neighbours and colleagues facing a double tragedy. Muduva was a senior public official, academic and technology specialist whose work covered data science, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and digital transformation.
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission confirmed his death and described it as a devastating loss. Muduva was appointed as a commissioner in December 2024.
“Commissioner Muduva has made remarkable contributions to the work and mandate of the ZHRC. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with their children, families, relatives, friends and loved ones during this very difficult time. As the ZHRC family, we mourn together and stand in solidarity with the bereaved families,” the statement read.
A student said Mangwiro had shared some of the photographs online after the ceremony.
“We have been saddened by the death of these two people,” said a student at the university. Mangwiro recently paraded some of her lobola day photographs on social media bragging of the marriage. This is so sad.”
Mangwiro’s first marriage is reported to have ended before she began her relationship with Muduva. The two later built a relationship that continued for several years and resulted in the birth of a child.
The case has also drawn renewed attention to the pressure created by intimate-partner conflict and the need for early intervention when domestic disputes become prolonged or threaten to turn violent. In Zimbabwe, the United Nations Population Fund says about one in three women aged between 15 and 49 has experienced physical violence, while about one in four has experienced sexual violence since the age of 15.
Support agencies in the country provide counselling, health care, psychosocial assistance and legal aid for people affected by gender-based violence. Community organisations also encourage relatives, neighbours and friends to act when they become aware of persistent threats, violence or severe emotional distress within a household.
For the Muduva and Chirara families, however, the warning signs described by friends and neighbours ended in two deaths and left three children without both parents. Police investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident are continuing.