Miner Jailed 25 Years for Murdering Rival Miner over Wife

by Priviledge Zviregei

A Chegutu artisanal miner has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the murder of a fellow miner whom he accused of snatching his wife.

Kudakwashe Maposa was convicted and sentenced by the Chinhoyi High Court Judge, Justice Catherine Bhachi-Muzawazi, last week. He will serve the full 25-year sentence.

According to court papers, the incident occurred on December 26, 2023, when Maposa and his two friends, Integrity Nguruve and Tinotenda Bosha, confronted the victim, Tatenda Malunga, and his friend Courage Mudzitiri while they were walking home.

Maposa, who was holding an axe, accused Malunga of snatching other people’s wives. When Malunga and his friend refused to kneel as ordered by the group, they were assaulted. Maposa then produced a knife and mercilessly stabbed Malunga all over his body, while Nguruve stabbed him twice in the chest and once on the right hip.

The court heard that the deceased begged and pleaded with the gang, to no avail. Malunga was rushed to Chegutu Hospital where he died upon admission.

In her ruling, Justice Bhachi-Muzawazi said the murder was done in “aggravating circumstances given the callous and heinous frenzied knife attacks.” She added that a clear message should be sent to all those in illegal mining enterprises who take the law into their own hands through the possession and use of prohibited weapons.

Maposa, in his defense, claimed that Malunga had snatched his wife, but the judge ruled that he “cannot distance himself from the consequences of his and his friends’ concerted efforts of vengeance.”

Nguruve, who was briefly arrested before being released on bail, is still in hiding after absconding, while another suspect, Tinotenda Bosha, remains at large.

The judge’s ruling aims to deter such acts of vigilantism and emphasize the importance of the rule of law, even in the context of illegal mining activities.m