A Bulawayo man, Moses Remayi, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for the violent assault and eventual death of his girlfriend, following a heated altercation over a missed phone call.
The 33-year-old became enraged when his girlfriend refused to answer a call from an unknown number, leading him to suspect infidelity.
The situation escalated when Remayi dialed the number and a man answered, fuelling his suspicions and resulting in a deadly confrontation. This incident happened in Zimbabwe.
During the trial, Remayi admitted that his anger spiralled out of control, leading him to attack his girlfriend with a steel chair and using his fists and feet.
Witnesses recounted that the brutal assault lasted nearly an hour, with co-tenant Evidence Denhere testifying that the door had been locked, preventing anyone from intervening despite the victim’s desperate screams for help.
The victim was discovered severely injured and unconscious by neighbor Cynthia Chaleka. Although she was immediately rushed to the hospital, she succumbed to her injuries a few days later.
Despite Remayi’s defense, in which he claimed the altercation escalated after his girlfriend bit him during their argument, Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Evangelista Kabasa dismissed his justification, convicting him of murder.
The court’s ruling has brought some closure to a community left in shock and anger over the tragic event.
