22-Year-Old Man Sets Stepmother On Fire
A 22-year-old man from Lupane has been sentenced to 16 years in prison by the High Court Circuit sitting at Hwange after being convicted of murdering his elderly stepmother.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) presented evidence showing that on 17 May 2025, at the late Christine Ncube’s homestead in Lupane, Mpofu struck the 72-year-old on the head with an axe before setting her on fire inside her kitchen hut.
The State also proved that shortly after the attack, Mpofu phoned his brother to confess that he had struck Ncube and set her ablaze.
Witnesses who arrived at the scene found Ncube still alive inside the kitchen hut, bleeding from her head and suffering severe burns all over her body. She was rushed to the hospital but tragically died a month later from her injuries.
During the trial, Mpofu told the court that the incident began after a verbal argument over his failing to immediately help Ncube carry grain to a grinding mill. He claimed his stepmother became angry and made remarks suggesting he would continue living a life of suffering.
Mpofu said that, in response, he had pulled a burning log from the fire and pretended to strike Ncube, which allegedly caused her to lose her balance and fall into the flames. He denied hitting her with an axe, insisting that her injuries were the result of the fall into the fire.
