Lupane man jailed 19 years for murder of his wife

A Lupane man has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for killing his wife in a brutal knife attack.

The High Court circuit sitting in Hwange convicted Khulekani Mpofu (35) of murder and sentenced him to 19 years’ imprisonment with hard labour.

The court heard that on 2 September 2025, at Sibanda homestead in Lupane, Mpofu entered a bedroom hut where his wife was sleeping and stabbed her several times with a kitchen knife. Neighbours, awakened by her screams, rushed to the scene with the village head and saw Mpofu fleeing while holding the knife.

Inside the hut, they found the woman lying naked in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds.

Mpofu handed himself over to the police on 5 September, three days after the killing. In his defence, he claimed he had seen a romantic message from another man on his wife’s phone and alleged that she became aggressive and destroyed the SIM card when confronted.

The court ruled that Mpofu acted with intent and convicted him of murder.

Authorities have reiterated that domestic disputes must never escalate into violence, warning that the law will deal firmly with those who resort to lethal force. *_-Bulawayo24_*