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Wife killer cop to serve full 15-year term

News
INCARCERATED killer cop Mike Matanga, who is serving a 15-year jail term for killing his wife, Bernadette Musiyarira, and throwing her body in a dam, is set to serve the full sentence after Deputy Chief Justice Luke Malaba dismissed his application for the extension of time within which to seek leave to appeal against conviction.

INCARCERATED killer cop Mike Matanga, who is serving a 15-year jail term for killing his wife, Bernadette Musiyarira, and throwing her body in a dam, is set to serve the full sentence after Deputy Chief Justice Luke Malaba dismissed his application for the extension of time within which to seek leave to appeal against conviction.

BY CHARLES LAITON

Sitting in his chambers last week, Justice Malaba said Matanga’s application was devoid of any merit.

“The evidence adduced proved that the crime of murder was committed,” said Malaba. “It established beyond reasonable doubt that the applicant (Matanga) was the perpetrator of the crime. There are no prospects of success in the application for extension of time within which to seek leave to appeal against conviction. The application for bail pending application for extension of time within which to appeal is without merit. It is dismissed.”

The facts of the matter were that on May 11, 2005 at Number 16 New Camp Zimbabwe Republic Police in Highfield, Matanga struck his wife’s head with an iron bar causing a fracture of the skull.

She sustained intracranial haemorrhage and died as a result. After realising he had killed his wife Matanga hired a taxi and lied to the driver that he wanted to take a bag of sugar to his in-laws in Epworth. He stashed the dead wife in a bag and headed for Epworth where he dumped the body.

The decomposing body was recovered from Epworth Quarry Dam on May 17, 2005 while stashed in a suitcase. “In a confirmed statement the applicant admitted killing the deceased and gave details of how he did so. He alleged that he got to the deceased’s living quarters and picked a quarrel with her over a cell phone call she had received whilst sitting on her bed.

“When he checked the call he found out that it was from a man called Chidembo with whom the deceased was having a love affair. The applicant said he took an iron bar and struck the deceased on the back of the head,” Justice Malaba said. He added: “The facts show that the deceased and the applicant had an acrimonious and violent relationship characterised by assaults on her by the applicant.”