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Chipinge man kills 2 daughters, injures wife

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A CHIPINGE man axed his two children to death using a machete in an attack that left the local community shell-shocked.

A CHIPINGE man axed his two children to death using a machete in an attack that left the local community shell-shocked.

BY KENNETH NYANGANI

Karukai Matsvase (27), of Chinyamukwakwa village under Chief Garahwa, did not deny charges of murdering his two children when he appeared before High Court judge Justice Charles Hungwe in Mutare on Monday.

He was, however, not found guilty as he was suffering from a mental disorder when he committed the crimes.

Prosecutor Malvern Masururwa told the court that Matsvase axed his two infant daughters – Delight Baloyi Matsvase (4) and Agnes Baloyi (3) – before axing his wife Beauty Chauke who survived the attack, but suffered severe injuries.

It was the State’s case that in January 2014, the accused person woke up around midnight and struck his two daughters with a machete, killing them instantly before targeting Chauke.

His brother, Watson, intervened before the accused fled.

The bodies were ferried to the St Peter’s Hospital mortuary while Chauke was admitted at the same hospital.

Davison Taremba, a government medical doctor who performed the post-mortems, concluded the deaths were due to injuries secondary to assault.

The accused was later arrested and was subjected to psychiatric examination at the Chikurubi Maximum Prison Psychiatric Unit in terms of the Mental Health Act.

Walter Mangezi, a registered psychiatrist, concluded that at the time of the crimes, Matsvase was mentally disordered.