Patience Mangwiro, the woman whose relationship with slain Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Commissioner Dr Martin Muduva became part of the painful dispute surrounding his death, has rejected questions about her feelings, saying no comment can bring her husband back.
Mangwiro, who works at Midlands State University where Muduva also lectured, was speaking after the deaths of the commissioner and his first wife, Lyliosa Chirara, in a violent incident at Muduva’s home in Dzivarasekwa Extension, Harare.
When she was contacted yesterday, Mangwiro made it clear that she did not want to discuss the case.
“Murikudei, ndati murikudei, will my comment bring back Martin? Come on, not everything is content,” she fumed.
Police have intensified investigations into what happened at the house in the early hours of Wednesday. Muduva, 42, suffered severe head injuries after being struck with an axe during a domestic dispute. Chirara, 43, later drank a poisonous substance and died.
The incident began around midnight after a reported disagreement linked to allegations of infidelity. Investigators say Chirara attacked Muduva several times with an axe, injuring his head and right hand. She then ingested rat poison.
A neighbour was alerted after a domestic worker left the house at about midnight and knocked on a nearby door, shouting for help. Residents were informed through a community WhatsApp group and rushed to the property, initially believing that armed robbers had attacked the home.
“One of our neighbours said the maid left the house at midnight and knocked at a nearby home, shouting for help,” said one community member.
“That neighbour quickly informed us through the community WhatsApp group that something bad had happened at Muduva’s house.”
The residents arrived armed, expecting to confront criminals, but found that the emergency involved the commissioner and his wife. The bedroom door had been locked from inside after the attack.
“The wife locked the bedroom door after killing her husband and then took a mixture of rat poison, presumably to ensure that none of them would survive,” the community member said.
“We had to break the locking system to gain entry into the bedroom. We rushed both of them to the clinic.”
Chirara was pronounced dead when she arrived at the 24-hour medical centre. Muduva was transferred to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in critical condition, but died from his injuries on Wednesday morning. The bodies were taken to the hospital mortuary for post-mortem examinations.
The community member said the axe appeared to have been sharpened before the assault. Some investigators also suspect that Chirara may have been preparing for the attack after she bought a new axe at Mbare Musika. She is also said to have bought a sachet of rat poison, which she allegedly mixed with another rodenticide before drinking it.
The deaths left Chirara’s three children without a mother and Muduva’s child with Mangwiro without a father. They also created a bitter dispute between the two families, who met for several hours to discuss burial arrangements.
The talks broke down after harsh words were exchanged. Both families later agreed to suspend the meeting and reconvene at a later stage.
The violence has cast a shadow over the death of a man whose public career had been built around technology, public service and human rights. Muduva was appointed a commissioner of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission on 19 December 2024. He served on the commission while continuing his academic and professional work.
The ZHRC describes the commission as a constitutional institution responsible for promoting, protecting and monitoring human rights in Zimbabwe. Muduva’s official profile records that he was also a lecturer in the Information Sciences and Marketing Department at Midlands State University, a member of the Innovation Drive and Assessment Committee under the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe, and a technology risk and assurance consultant.
He held a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Data Science and master’s degrees in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Leadership and Corporate Governance, Mechatronics and Artificial Intelligence, and Big Data Analytics. He also held a Bachelor of Technology Honours degree in Information Security and Assurance, together with qualifications in corporate risk, safety and security management and higher and tertiary education.
His work covered cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data science, digital transformation and data protection. At the commission, he was involved in discussions about the relationship between technology and human rights, including the risks posed by automated decision-making, surveillance and the handling of personal information.
Muduva’s academic rise had begun long before his appointment to the commission. Former schoolmates remember him as a brilliant student who was already a prefect at Murambinda Government High School in 2002, when he was in Form Four. By the time he reached A-Level, pupils in Upper Six were approaching him for help with difficult schoolwork.
After leaving school, he joined the military as an officer cadet and rose through the ranks while continuing his studies. Friends say that despite his achievements, he remained humble and approachable. His recent doctorate had been celebrated by colleagues and friends who saw him as a determined engineer and lecturer with a strong interest in how technology could serve society.
The commission mourned his death as a devastating loss to the institution and to those who worked with him. Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Minister Tatenda Mavetera also described him as a dedicated public servant and a brilliant mind whose contribution to engineering and technology would be remembered.
For the Muduva and Chirara families, the investigation now continues alongside preparations for two burials and the care of children left behind. The questions surrounding the couple’s final hours remain with the police, while friends and colleagues remember Muduva as a scholar, engineer, lecturer and public servant whose life ended inside the home where he was expected to be safe.
Mangwiro, meanwhile, has chosen not to add to the public discussion. Her response remains the clearest expression of her position: no interview, explanation or comment can restore the man she had married.
“WILL FOREVER MISS YOU MY GUY.
“TILL WE MEET.”