The Sunday News
Walter Mswazie in Masvingo
A SOUTH AFRICA-BASED Masvingo man has been arrested after he allegedly fatally stabbed a fellow villager with an Okapi knife for playing peacemaker in a love triangle.
Witness Mapurisa (24) of Village 9, Mushandike Resettlement Scheme tripped Taruvinga Tazira (23) of Acton Farm to the ground and used an Okapi knife to stab him before fleeing. Taruvinga was rushed to Masvingo General Hospital hours after he was stabbed on New Year’s Day but doctors failed to remove the knife resulting in him being transferred to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Harare. Although the knife was later removed in Harare, he died five days later while admitted to the institution.
His body was taken to the same hospital’s mortuary for a post-mortem. Masvingo police spokesperson Inspector Charity Mazula could neither confirm nor deny the incident saying police had not yet received the report.
“We have not yet received a report to that effect,” said Insp Mazula.
However, Sunday News visited Buka Business Centre about 20 kilometres from Masvingo along the Masvingo-Beitbridge Road where villagers and family members narrated the story. A relative to the deceased, Mr Alfred Mutete said police came to the area the following day and arrested Mapurisa together with his younger brother Innocent (21) at their grandmother’s home where they were hiding. He said on the day, Mapurisa wanted to attack his rival suitor, a fellow villager, only to turn against Taruvinga who was playing peacemaker.
“All along, Mapurisa has been staying in South Africa but was in love with Taruvinga’s neighbour Ms Shelta Mukaro (22).
During his absence, Ms Mukaro allegedly dated another man from the village,” said Mr Mutete
He alleged that on the day at around 6pm while at Buka Business Centre, celebrating the arrival of the New Year Mapurisa confronted Ms Mukaro’s unidentified boyfriend over the issue.
“A dispute ensued between the two and Taruvinga intervened in an attempt to restrain them from fighting. Instead, Mapurisa turned against Taruvinga, tripped him to the ground before I attempted to block him but failed. Mapurisa pinned Taruvinga to the ground and stabbed him on the left nose and cheek leaving a deep cut,” said Mr Mutete.
He said Taruvinga attempted to recover from the attack but the emotionally-charged Mapurisa further pressed him down before “planting” the knife into his head, leaving it stuck. He then fled the scene.
Father of the late Taruvinga, Mr Gerson Tazira said the incident happened a few minutes after he had left the deceased with the accused, ostensibly in a jovial mood at the business centre.
“AT around 7pm, I left them in a celebratory mood and came home as I had enough of the eats and drinks. After about 30 minutes I heard one of the villagers calling out my name and I came out of the house to investigate. I initially thought he was being attacked and wanted my help only to realise that he was alerting me,” said Mr Tazira.
He said the villager informed him that his son had been stabbed by Mapurisa as he attempted to restrain him from stabbing a fellow villager.
Mr Tazira said he went back to the business centre to investigate but stumbled upon his son lying on the tarmac in a pool of blood writhing in pain with the knife stuck into his head, about a kilometre from the scene, near his plot.
“My son wobbled for about a kilometre from the business centre before he fell unconscious just on the edge of my maize plot but on the busy Masvingo-Beitbridge highway. We were fortunate at that time that a Chivi-bound ambulance crew arrived and agreed to rush him to Masvingo General Hospital,” he said.
He said the personnel at the hospital failed to remove the knife and referred him to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.
The village head, Mr Tinago Konde, said the whole village was still in shock.
Meanwhile, Mr Tazira is demanding $3 000 being hospital and travelling expenses the family incurred on their late son.
He said compensation will be determined at a yet to be held family meeting.
