Married man attacked with iron object after all-night rendezvous in Chitungwiza
A 35-year-old married man was admitted to hospital after an unidentified assailant struck him on the head with an iron object as he walked home from a woman’s house in Chitungwiza in the early hours of Monday morning.
Shadreck Kutshwekhaya, who lives in Unit F, was attacked at about 4am, only a few metres from the Unit A home of Enia Hlomayi, 46. He had left Hlomayi’s house moments earlier to return to his own home when the assailant allegedly grabbed him from behind.
Kutshwekhaya tried to flee, but the attacker hit him on the head. He managed to make his way back to Hlomayi’s home, where she took him to Chitungwiza General Hospital. He was admitted for treatment.
Police said Kutshwekhaya suffered a deep cut to his head and bruising to his neck. The attacker’s identity and the reason for the assault had not been established in the information released about the case.
Acting Harare provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Faith Mapisa confirmed that police were investigating the incident as attempted murder and appealed for information that could lead to the suspect’s arrest.
“Police are investigating an attempted murder case in Chitungwiza. The complainant was struck by an object and sustained a deep cut on his head and some bruises on his neck,” Mapisa said.
The events leading up to the attack began several hours earlier. Kutshwekhaya and Hlomayi met at Maruza Shopping Centre at about 11pm, where they drank beer. Around midnight, they went to Hlomayi’s home and slept. Kutshwekhaya left at about 4am, but was attacked shortly after stepping out.
The reported sequence places the assault close to the home he had just left. After being struck, he returned there injured, and Hlomayi arranged for him to be taken to hospital. Police have not publicly named a suspect or said whether anyone had been arrested in connection with the attack.
The case comes amid a series of reported confrontations in Zimbabwe in which relationships have featured in the circumstances surrounding assaults and killings. The cases differ in their details and outcomes, but include disputes that erupted in public places, homes and within families.
In December 2025, police announced the arrest of Tonderai Masaiti, 37, in connection with the death of his older brother, Benjamin Masaiti, 43, in Chimanimani. Police said the dispute reportedly stemmed from allegations that Tonderai was having an affair with Benjamin’s wife, Chipo Chirigo, 45.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said Tonderai allegedly assisted Chirigo in attacking Benjamin after a dispute. Chirigo was reported to be on the run as police sought information that could help locate her. The case involved a family relationship as well as a reported affair, and ended with Benjamin dead and his younger brother arrested.
Three years earlier, a killing in Zengeza 3, Chitungwiza, also involved a husband, his wife and another man. In December 2022, Ellington Gadzikwa, 27, was reported to have stabbed his wife’s lover with a kitchen knife after finding the pair in a locked bedroom at his home.
Police said Gadzikwa persuaded his wife to open the bedroom door, then locked himself inside with the man and attacked him. The victim died, and Gadzikwa left the house with his wife. A manhunt was launched after the killing. The account of the case centred on the discovery inside the locked room and the fatal stabbing; it did not establish any link to the Chitungwiza assault now under investigation.
A public confrontation at Chikwanha Shopping Centre in Chitungwiza was reported in April 2021. The incident involved Tonderayi Munodawafa and Emilia Katonha, a married vendor. Munodawafa confronted Katonha after finding her with another man. The relationship dispute drew attention at the busy shopping centre.
Katonha said she had started seeing Munodawafa as a response to her husband’s infidelity. She said her husband, who was stationed in Gweru, knew about the relationship. The account also said Katonha and Munodawafa were both married and claimed their relationship had resulted in a child. The episode ended in a dispute that was taken to the police and the Civil Court, after Katonha accused Munodawafa of taking documents relating to her residential stand.
Unlike the earlier cases, no person has been publicly identified as responsible for the attack on Kutshwekhaya. Police have asked anyone with information about the 4am assault to come forward as the investigation continues.
The known facts about Monday’s incident remain focused on the short stretch of time between Kutshwekhaya leaving Hlomayi’s home and returning injured. He had arrived there after meeting Hlomayi at Maruza Shopping Centre, left in the early morning, was grabbed from behind and struck, then returned for help. He was taken to Chitungwiza General Hospital, where he was admitted with a deep head wound and bruising to his neck.
Police are seeking information that could establish who attacked him and what happened in the moments before the blow. Mapisa urged members of the public with information to assist investigators in identifying the suspect.