CommuTalk Reporter
GWERU High Court Circuit Judge Justice Naison Chivayo has sentenced Stacy Thokozani Mkandla (34) to 10 years in prison for murdering her husband’s lover.
Mkandla stabbed Brightness Phiri (27) with a knife after she caught her in a compromising position with her husband Tafadzwa Emmanuel Munyoro in her matrimonial bed.
The incident occurred in February 2024 when Mkandla returned home from an all-night prayer and found the two in bed.
Chivayo heard that Mkandla’s pain led her to unleash a savage knife attack on Mkandla resulting in her death.
Public Prosecutor Clemence Chimbari said Mkandla used a dangerous weapon to attack the deceased, stabbing her several times all over the body, targeting delicate areas such as the eye and chest, with the intention to kill.
Mkandla’s lawyer Esau Mandipa prayed for mercy, arguing that his client acted under extreme provocation.
“My Lord, I pray that the case may be treated as culpable homicide, not murder. The accused first attacked the deceased, but the deceased retaliated, and they dragged each other to the kitchen. The deceased grabbed the knife, but was disarmed,” he said.
The deceased’s sister, Gracious Mkwananzi, expressed her pain and sorrow in her victim impact statement.
“I am deeply hurt and crushed in spirit about the incident. Our family charged the boyfriend, Munyoro 10 cattle and money as compensation but he only paid $1 000 for the funeral and never returned,” read the victim impact statement.
Seven months down the line, residents of Mkoba Village 14 in Gweru are struggling to come to terms with the shocking events of February 10, 2024.
