HARARE – A gardener who works in Harare’s posh Borrowdale Brooke suburb was admitted at Parirenyatwa Hospital last week after he was scalded with hot water for cheating with a married woman.
Owen Katanga was trapped with his married girlfriend only identified as Hilda or Mai Alvin after their affair was exposed to the latter’s husband Christopher Patrick, who is also a gardener in Cranborne.
Owen, who confirmed cheating with Hilda, claimed that he was burnt on his right arm, back and his abdomen and is admitted on Bed 29 in ward B4. Christopher denied wielding an axe or knife as claimed by Owen insisting that he only used hot water.
“I never used an axe or knife but hot water only and you must not believe all that he is saying for he is a liar. That is all I can say because this issue is being handled by the police,” said Christopher.
Hilda and her husband planned to invite Owen to their place of residence where she is a maid at house no.28 Twickenham Drive in Mount Pleasant last week.
“It is true I have been in love with Hilda for nearly three years and she indicated to me that she was married,” said Owen.
“I believe Hilda planned with her husband to fix me because her calls enquiring about my ability to visit her that day were questionable. Chinodakufa chinoingira. Had I trusted my instincts I could have not met this fate and truly I am in the sort of pain I will never forget.
“I visited her at around 7pm with plans to sleep there since her husband works in Cranborne and I found her alone. There was boiling water in the pot and I never suspected anything.
“Within 5 minutes Christopher opened the door and quickly locked it before assaulting me and he immediately poured the boiling water on me. I screamed out loud in agony and Hilda’s boss arrived as Christopher was holding a knife demanding me to surrender all the money I had including my Nokia N70.
“I had no cash on me and I surrendered my Nokia N70 and Hilda’s boss witnessed Christopher telling me that he wanted to kill me with an axe which was under the bed while holding a knife.
“Christopher gave me his contact number so that I would pay him US$500 through Eco-cash before releasing me and I gained power and informed my brother who later led me to make a police report.
“It was better for them to get me arrested than be cruel to this extent. The images of their barbaric attack still haunt me as the nurse attend to me in hospital. My buttocks were also affected and I am struggling to sit. I spend the whole day lying in bed,” said Owen in a bedside interview.
In another interview Hilda confirmed cheating with Owen and said that her husband became angry after Owen told him that he was retaliating as he also lost his wife to another man. “My husband’s niece is the one who exposed my affair with Owen to my husband the time we were living in Borrowdale,” said Hilda.
“Owen akandivhevhedza until I agreed to fall in love with him before Christopher’s niece discovered it. Christopher sent text messages to Owen ordering him to stop associating with me and his replies up.
“On the day in question, Owen told my husband that he (Owen) lost his wife to another man so he was retaliating. This enraged my husband and he poured hot water meant for preparing rice on Owen.
“We started dating in 2011 after I told him that I was married with one child and we agreed to move on. Owen boasted that he has a lot of money for he works as a gardener in Borrowdale and my husband is a gardener in Cranborne.
