SYDNEY MUBAIWA
GWERU-The High Court circuit sitting in Gweru has sentenced a 20 – year -old Watershed Farm worker to two life prison terms after convicting him of murdering two children by locking them in a hut and setting it on fire.
Abel Mativenga (20) was found guilty of killing Natasha Kanyama (5) and Everjoy Mangena (13) in a premeditated attack on March 19, 2025.
According to court proceedings, Mativenga locked the two juveniles inside their bedroom hut, tied the door with wire before setting the structure ablaze.
Mativenga according to the judgment, killed the children after he became enraged by allegations that his parents were witches. Ignoring advice to refrain from violence, he obtained a lighter, secured the hut and ignited the fire.
He then fled the scene and watched from hiding as neighbours tried to rescue the children from the ragging fire.
The hut collapsed in the blaze and both children died inside. Their bodies were later retrieved and it was discovered that they had 100% burns.
In handing down sentence, the court cited the deliberate planning, the entrapment of the victims, and killing of two innocent minors imposing the maximum penalty of two life sentences.
The court viewed the act as a cruel and premeditated incident and warned that violence against children will attract the heaviest punishment, urging communities to resolve disputes peacefully.
