Martin Muleya
A tragic incident occurred yesterday in Regaizvidero village, Chief Makoni, Tanda, Mayo in Rusape when a mental patient allegedly killed his mother with an axe and then fled the scene.
The suspect who has a history of mental health issues and was not on medication, allegedly used an axe to commit the horrific crime. The motive behind the attack is unclear, but witnesses reported that the suspect was not provoked.
Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka confirmed that Tafirenyika Musuwa (31) was the biological son of the now deceased Rosemary Mapasukwa (61).
“On 23rd of April 2025 at 0530hrs Simon Musuwa (29) who is son to the deceased left the house going to the fields leaving his mother asleep in her bedroom while the accused was standing in the yard. On the same day at 0900hrs, Musuwa returned home from the fields to unyoke the oxen and found his brother Tafirenyika sitting on a rocky outcrop some few paces away from the lifeless body of his mother.
“He noticed that his mother’s body was lying in a pool of blood, facing the ground, wounded on the back of the head. Musuwa also noticed shoe prints of Tafirenyika as well as his axe that was on the heap of firewood about 5meters away from the deceased’s body. The axe had some blood stains on it,” said Ass Insp Chinyoka.
He said police are currently hunting for the suspect, who fled the scene after committing the crime. The deceased’s body was ferried to Rusape General hospital for postmortem.
