HARARE – A 36-year-old man has been charged over the February 9 killing of his girlfriend in Vainona, Borrowdale.
Tonderai Petani, of no fixed aboard, stabbed Mavingei Kambarada, 41, thrice on the head, neck and hand with a knife after he found her with another man, said to be the father of her 10-year-old son.
Petani appeared before Harare magistrate Ruth Moyo last Saturday and was remanded in custody to March 7. He was advised to seek bail at the High Court.
Zebadah Bofu, for the National Prosecuting Authority, told the court that Petani was one of several men that Kambarada was dating. She was a live-in girlfriend of Robert Mugugwa who worked as a gardener at the Vainona house and stayed in the cottage.
At around 6.30PM on February 9, the court heard that Mugugwa, who had been out, arrived home and could not locate Kambarada in the cottage prompting him to go outside and look for her.
He found her behind the cottage lying face down, dead from three stab wounds to the head, back of the neck and hand.
A police investigation established that earlier that day, Petani had arrived at the house and found Kambarada with another man only identified as Walter. She allegedly told Petani that Walter was the father of her son, and they were still seeing each other.
For several hours, Petani allegedly stalked the pair as they took a walk on Borrowdale Road and also jumped in when they got in a kombi. When the two lovebirds returned to the Vainona house, Petani reportedly spent 40 minutes at the gate before going away.
He allegedly returned after Walter left and murdered Kambarada before stealing her phone which he later sold. Working with other residents, Mugugwa allegedly tracked down the stolen phone to its new owner who helped in luring Petani before he was captured by residents on February 16. The residents handed him over to police.
