The Sunday News
THE body of a Gokomere woman, who was allegedly strangled by her husband following an argument over serving him isitshwala with vegetables, had two post-mortems done producing different results, it has emerged.
The developments came in the wake of threats by the bereaved family to exhume her body over compensation, citing her alleged killer’s failure to pay the remaining cattle.
Paul Chiumba’s family paid four beasts and $1 000 in cash against 15 cattle that Sukai Chiutsi’s family had demanded.
Chiutsi’s body was buried following the intervention of the police who somehow broke the impasse three weeks after her death.
Early last month, Chiutsi (35) was allegedly strangled at around 4am, six hours after her husband, Chiumba (40) arrived from his workplace in Chisumbanje.
A full post-mortem was done by a Bulawayo pathologist at United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) which revealed that Chiutsi had died of asphyxia and strangulation leading to Chiumba’s arrest.
However, Chiumba has, through his lawyer Mr Charles Ndlovu, been granted $100 bail by the High Court.
Chiumba of Chikumbezi Village under Chief Zimuto alleges that Chiutsi’s body was tampered with by her relatives while at Masvingo General Hospital mortuary. As fate would have it, another post-mortem with different results and purported to be the first one has emerged.
Mr Ndlovu told Sunday News on Saturday that the first post-mortem done by a Masvingo doctor, Dr Godfrey Zimbwa, reveals that Sukai died of stroke, setting the stage for a bruising legal battle.
“I have identified a very interesting misnomer in my client’s case. There are two post-mortems, all done by qualified doctors who have attended the same training. The two medical processes produced different results, the first one that was done by Dr Zimbwa says the woman died of stroke while the second one done in Bulawayo says she died of strangulation which nailed my client,” said Mr Ndlovu.
“As if that is not enough, the first one was done on Monday, a few hours after her death while the other one was done three days after her death. Logic will always tell us that the first one is acceptable.”
The Chiutsi family has, however, professed ignorance on the emergence of the first post-mortem, describing it as not authentic.
Fungai, younger sister to the late Chiutsi, a nurse, said she was with Chiumba throughout all processes in Masvingo up to when a post-mortem was done in Bulawayo.
“There was no process done in Chiumba’s absence neither without the blessings of the police. We wonder what time; the first post-mortem was done because all processes were done in our presence. I was with Chiumba throughout that, I do not see the reason why the so-called first post-mortem should be taken as a secret, only to be used in court. There is more to it than what meets the eye,” said Fungai.
She said Dr Zimbwa is the one who referred them to Bulawayo after he had denied having done the post-mortem in Masvingo.
“We were referred by Dr Zimbwa after he denied conducting the post-morterm and he is fully aware of the reasons behind. That is a fake post-mortem obtained through unorthodox means,” she said.
Chiutsi’s family spokesperson Mr Tafadzwa Mutasa said the Chiumba family wanted to use fake documents as a way of avoiding full responsibility.
“It is clear that they want to run away from paying outstanding compensation. We want 15 cattle and if they remain intransigent, we are going to exhume our daughter’s body if they don’t want to co-operate. They are playing games with us,” said Mr Mutasa.
Efforts to get a comment from Dr Zimbwa proved fruitless as his phone went unanswered.
