Husband Hacks Wife to Death Over Separation, Commits Suicide Thereafter

A 37-year-old man in Zimbabwe went berserk and fatally struck, with a machete, his wife before hanging himself. The blood-curdling incident occurred in Umwinsidale on Tuesday.

According iHarare, Stephen Bisiwasi hacked his wife Tryphine Nyika, 32, after failing to stomach the news that she wanted to end their marriage following a marital wrangle. The pair who were employed by the same employer as maid and gardener stayed in one the cottages at the house.

Zimbabwe National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident.

‘Police are investigating a case involving a couple where the husband hanged himself after attacking his wife with a machete in Umwinsidale on Tuesday. Circumstances were that on 1st May 2020 at around 1800 hours, the two had a misunderstanding which led them to separate and ended up sleeping in different rooms at the same complex.’

‘On 5th May 2020 and at around 1100 hours, a neighbour who is also employed at the same address, heard noise coming from the scene of crime,’said Ass-Comm Nyathi.

‘He went on to investigate on what was happening and was surprised to see the wife lying in a pool of blood with head injuries and had her two right hand fingers cut off. He rushed to call their employer who was not at home at the time of occurrence. Employer responded to the call and rushed with Tryphine Nyika to Parirenyatwa Hospital for treatment and was admitted in the ICU section and her condition was said to be critical,’ he said.

According to the local tabloid H-Metro, Tryphine later succumbed to the injuries. Speaking to the publication, the employer said that he found Bisiwasi hanging from the trusses of a gazebo in the yard. After discovering the body he then informed his sister.

‘The deceased used a rope to hang himself from trusses of a gazebo shed. Information on the suicidal note indicates that the now deceased assaulted Tryphine using a machete and thought he had killed her and hanged himself to death. A machete full of blood was near where Tryphine was lying and two fingers of Tryphine which were cut with a machete,’ he said.