Mum sets self, 2 kids ablaze over $30

By Samuel Kadungure

A STONE-hearted Rusape mother -Petronilah Nyarugwe – did the unthinkable when she set the house she and her two minor children were in on fire resulting in her two-and-half-year-old baby being burnt to death. 

Nyarugwe’s rage was ignited by an earlier quarrel over $30 with her husband, Gift Tapiwa Mamhunze.

The late child, Bathsheba Mamhunze’s charred remains were buried at her family homestead in Nezambe Village, under Chief Makoni. She was burnt to death in the vicious inferno as efforts to retrieve her failed.

Nyarugwe and her other child Divine (5) are lucky to be alive.

They, however, escaped with severe burns and are admitted at Harare Central Hospital’s burns unit, nursing severe burns to the face, neck, chest, hands, abdomen and legs.

Mamhunze also sustained some burns as he rescued his trapped family.

He was admitted at Rusape General Hospital where his condition is said to be stable.

The incident has become the talk of the village which is adjacent to Tsanzaguru Township and Rusape, with villagers and residents condemning the heartless act as demonic.

Villagers described Nyarugwe as a highly temperamental woman with suicide tendencies. They said she almost wiped her family some years back after lacing drinking water with poison.

She took the water, after miscalculating that everybody else had, and only survived after being rushed to hospital, they said.

Villagers added that Nyarugwe and Mamhunze’s marriage has been on the rocks and years back the former ditched her husband to stay with her parents for unknown reasons.

When she returned, Mamhunze had married another wife. She imposed herself as the first wife in that polygamous marriage and was described by villagers as “an assertive and demanding woman”.

Manicaland provincial police spokesperson Inspector Enock Chishiri on Wednesday confirmed the heinous incident, which occurred on Sunday around 10pm.

“It is true and unfortunate that a two-and-half-year-old child was burnt to death. The mother and her other child were rescued. They sustained severe burns and are in a critical state at Harare Central Hospital,” said Insp Chishiri.

Insp Chishiri added: “We are treating the case as murder and arson. The mother is the accused. Preliminary investigations revealed that she earlier on had a misunderstanding with her husband, Gift.

“Nyarugwe complained of stomach pains and she told her husband that she needed $30 to seek medication at a local clinic.

“The husband advised her she would get the money the following day. This did not go down well with her and she wrestled her husband and seized about R2 000 from him. It is alleged that with the bundle of money in her hands, Nyarugwe rushed to Tsanzaguru Business Centre where she allegedly bought an unknown quantity of petrol and a box of matches.

“As she approached home, Nyarugwe allegedly ambushed Mamhunze and doused him with petrol before setting his clothes alight. Mamhunze rushed into the bush and stripped off his clothes.”

The Manica Post further gathered that a moment later, the antagonistic lovebirds were summoned by the family elders to a roundtable discussion aimed at resolving their differences.

The family intermediaries appeared to have broken the ice and the two promised to observe peace towards each other.

However, around 10pm, Nyarugwe refused to sleep in the same room with her husband. When she realised that everyone had slept, she sprinkled petrol in the room she was occupying with her two children and set it on fire.

Her husband, who had slept in the dining room, was awakened by loud screams and when he rushed to investigate, he noted that the house was on fire.

He smashed the door open and rushed to rescue the victims.  He failed to rescue little Bathsheba as the fire had become vicious. The Mamhunzes refused to open up to The Manica Post team that visited them on Wednesday.

“We will allow you to take pictures only. We will not take questions from you. We are mourning and are all traumatised. Going over it again with you won’t help us either.

“Mauya kuzotifumura. It will not benefit us in any way other than casting us in bad light,” said one of the family members, who declined to be named. Manica Post