A 30-year-old Harare man has been arrested after allegedly strangling his wife to death with a shoelace during a domestic dispute at Maruwa Farm Compound in Hatfield.
The incident happened on September 17, as police dealt with a separate murder in Shamva in which a four-month pregnant woman was allegedly killed by her husband after he accused her of having an affair with another man.
The two cases were among a series of murder investigations being handled by the Zimbabwe Republic Police after violence within homes claimed the lives of women and children in different parts of the country.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the Hatfield arrest and said the dispute was linked to allegations of infidelity.
“Police in Hatfield arrested Stephen Sarurai aged 30 in connection with a case of murder which occurred at a house at Maruwa Farm Compound, Hatfield, on September 17, 2026.
“The suspect allegedly strangled his wife, Zvikomborero Tari, aged 26, to death with a shoelace following a domestic dispute emanating from allegations of infidelity,” he said.
Tari’s death came days after the killing of Everjoy Amos, 32, in Shamva. Amos was four months pregnant and a mother of three young daughters. Her body was found in a bedroom with severe head injuries, while a five-pound hammer, weighing about 2,7 kilogrammes, was recovered beside the bed.
Police have named her husband, Leonard Padzikamambo Mubaira, 41, as the suspect. Mubaira, an artisanal miner at Bester Mine, Shamva, reportedly went into hiding after the attack.
Investigators believe the assault followed accusations that Amos was having an affair with Tawanda Nyakudya, 31. Police said Mubaira first confronted Nyakudya before returning to the house where Amos was later found dead.
“On September 13, 2026, at around 0400 hours, and at House Number 686 Muwanga Street, Shamva, the accused person, who was armed with an iron bar, proceeded to the informant’s place of residence. He accused Tawanda Nyakudya of having an extramarital affair with Everjoy Amos. The suspect left after promising to return so that they could resolve the issue,” said Comm Nyathi.
It is alleged that on the same day, at around 0700 hours, Nyakudya went to Mubaira’s house and instructed the children who were playing outside to call their parents.
When the children entered the bedroom, they found their mother’s body lying in a pool of blood. Mubaira was not present at the time and the children informed Nyakudya about the incident.
Police who attended the scene found Amos covered with a blanket. She had sustained two deep wounds, one above the right eye and another on the top of her head. The hammer believed to have been used in the attack was recovered beside the bed, and her body was taken to Shamva Hospital mortuary pending a post-mortem examination.
The Shamva case has also left three children without their mother, while the unborn child she was carrying was among the victims of the attack.
As investigators pursued Mubaira, police in Mashonaland West were examining another murder in which a mother and her two children were killed at Shirleigh Farm in Darwendale on September 13.
The victims were identified as Abigail Mwale, 26, her five-year-old daughter Johanne Maiswa and her seven-month-old son Jayden Mwale. Their bodies were allegedly dragged into a hut after the killings. The suspect then locked the hut from the outside and set it on fire.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the deaths and said the identity of the suspect was still unknown.
“The ZRP is investigating a case of murder in which an unknown suspect allegedly killed three victims, a mother and her two children, at Shirleigh Farm, Darwendale, on September 13, 2026. The victims have been identified as Abigail Mwale (26), Johanne Maiswa (5) and Jayden Mwale (7 months).
“The suspect allegedly dragged the bodies into a hut, locked it from the outside and subsequently set it on fire. Police recovered a blood-stained white cloth, a white sack, an adze and a pair of socks at the scene.
“The bodies of the victims were taken to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals Mortuary for post-mortem examinations. Anyone with information is urged to report to the nearest police station or contact the National Complaints Desk on 0242 703631 or via WhatsApp on 0712 800 197,” he said.
The Darwendale investigation was continuing alongside a suspected murder case in Harare, where the body of an unidentified man was found along an unnamed dust road near Newcastle Group of Schools in Dzivarasekwa.
The man was wearing a grey jacket, grey trousers, a white and navy-blue striped T-shirt, a sun hat and black and white sneakers. Police said he had a deep cut above the right eye, scratch marks on both hands, a fractured right leg and swelling on his back.
His body was taken to the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals mortuary while investigators sought to establish his identity and trace relatives who could assist with the inquiry.
In Masvingo, police also arrested Joseph Mutsikwa, 20, Elikias Elikane Madobi, 19, and Taona Nerupiri in connection with the murder of Alen Njena, 20. The arrests followed the discovery of Njena’s body near Madzivadondo Business Centre. He had suffered a stab wound to the chest and an Okapi knife was recovered beside the body.
The latest cases follow another fatal domestic attack reported in Kadoma in May, when a 45-year-old man was arrested after his pregnant daughter and wife were killed in a knife attack. Police said Obert Namurokosi handed himself over after the deaths of his daughter and wife. The dispute had reportedly forced the woman to flee the family home and seek refuge at her daughter’s house before the attack.
The incidents come against a persistent gender-based violence problem in Zimbabwe. The United Nations Population Fund says about one in three women aged between 15 and 49 in the country has experienced physical violence, while about one in four has experienced sexual violence since the age of 15.
Police continue to appeal for information that could lead to the arrest of suspects in the Shamva and Darwendale cases. In Shamva, detectives are searching for Mubaira, while in Darwendale they are working to identify the person responsible for the deaths of Mwale and her two children.
The investigations have left several families waiting for answers: Tari’s relatives in Harare, Amos’s three daughters in Shamva, the family of Mwale and her children in Darwendale, and the relatives of the unidentified man in Dzivarasekwa. Each case remains open as police process evidence recovered from the scenes and seek information from members of the public.
Anyone with information about the Darwendale killings has been urged to report to the nearest police station or contact the National Complaints Desk on 0242 703631 or WhatsApp on 0712 800 197.