Residents of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe have been left in shock following report of a man identified as Pascal Dube stabbing his wife, Ms Aquiline Sadziwa, 34 times with a kitchen knife before crushing her head with a large stone.
The couple had been separated and it was also learnt that Sadziwa was residing at her lodgings when Dube committed the heinous crime at around 9 pm on April 22. The reason for the attack is still unknown, and Dube is still on the run after he disappeared following the alleged crime.
During the attack, the couple’s baby was strapped to Ms Sadziwa’s back, and although not harmed, the infant was drenched in blood.
Speaking at a church service held at the scene of the murder, Mr Tonderayi Chingonzo, the uncle to Ms Sadziwa, revealed that the police discovered 21 stab wounds when they arrived at the murder scene. However, they discovered 13 more when the body was taken to the United Bulawayo Hospitals mortuary for a post-mortem.
Chingonzo said Sadziwa was stabbed until the knife’s blade separated from the handle. He described the attack as something he had never seen before. “Even an animal cannot be killed like that,” he said.
When police arrived at the murder scene, they found a large stone next to Ms Sadziwa’s body, which Dube had allegedly used to crush her head. Mr Chingonzo was overwhelmed by the brutality of the crime, sobbing as he spoke about the ordeal. “I wonder what wrong my niece had done to deserve such a brutal killing,” he said.
Sadziwa’s father, Mr Michael Sadziwa, is also pleading for closure. He is distraught that the Dube family has not yet spoken to them since the death of his daughter. “It is cultural that they come and apologize. They haven’t. It is surprising to me that more than two weeks now no one from his (Pascal) family has come to talk to us. What comes to mind is that maybe it was a well-organized thing with his family. Why are they not coming to talk to me and apologize? I want closure. I want to know what crime my daughter committed to deserve such a painful death,” he said.