Ashley Kabaya 29-year-old man from Zimbiru village under Chief Chinamhora, Domboshava, is facing a murder charge after allegedly setting his estranged wife on fire following a dispute over the division of marital property.
Ashley Kabaya, the accused, appeared before Harare Magistrate Dennis Mangosi, according to reports from NewZimbabwe.com. The magistrate directed Kabaya to request bail at the High Court as he awaits trial.
Kabaya burned his wife, and he is currently receiving treatment at the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.
On April 15, 2024, Kabaya and his now-deceased wife, Sphiwe Jenyure, were in a room organising their belongings as they concluded their divorce processes, according to prosecutor Rufaro Chonzi.
According to rumours, Kabaya used a golf club to attack Jenyure after locking the door from the inside. Then he drenched her with a mixture of paraffin and cobra, a flammable floor polish, and lit her on fire. Chonzi clarified:
ALSO READ: Hatiperi Designs Trousers for the President of Belarus, Lukashenko
“While they were in the process of dividing their possessions, the accused poured a combination of cobra and paraffin on her and set her alight.”
It is said that when Jenyure saw that Kabaya was trying to escape, she used what little power she had in the middle of the fire to seize him, setting him on fire and burning him.
When Zulu Digital, a bystander, heard Jenyure screaming, he stepped in, opened the door, and tried to put out the fire with the assistance of other community members who had come.
Due to the severity of their injuries, Jenyure and Kabaya were both sent to Makumbe Hospital in Domboshava for emergency care before being moved to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.
Sadly, on April 17 at Parirenyatwa Hospital, Jenyure passed away from her wounds; her body is awaiting a postmortem test.
