Gweru Man Jailed 30 Years for Wife’s Murder After Infidelity Accusation

By Kudzaishe Chimonera

A man from Gweru has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted of murdering his wife following a domestic dispute in which he accused her of infidelity.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), Brighton Kadhlanga (31) of Chinyama Village under Chief Gambiza was found guilty of killing his 26-year-old wife, Patience Madula in an incident that occurred on 20 December 2025.

Prosecutors told the court that Kadhlanga had returned home from Maguma Business Centre and confronted his wife while she was sitting in a kitchen hut with her mother-in-law and the couple’s two-year-old son.

The court heard that he accused Madula of having an extramarital affair, triggering a violent confrontation.

Authorities said Kadhlanga threatened to kill both his wife and their child during the dispute prompting the child’s grandmother to flee the homestead with the toddler, fearing for their safety.

Prosecutors said the attack escalated dramatically after the couple was left alone.

“In a fit of rage, the offender assaulted the now deceased several times using a burning log before striking her twice on the head with a three-legged aluminium pot,” the NPAZ said.

The assault left Madula with severe injuries, including deep wounds to her head and legs as well as multiple bruises across her body.

Later that night, Kadhlanga reportedly called the victim’s brother and said he intended to kill her over allegations of infidelity.

During the call, Madula is said to have told her brother that she had been badly beaten and was unable to walk.

“The now deceased informed her brother that she had been seriously assaulted and could no longer walk,” prosecutors said.

Police attended the scene in the early hours of 21 December and found Madula dead inside the kitchen hut.

“Police attended the scene in the early hours of the 21st of December 2025 and found the lifeless body lying inside the kitchen hut,” the NPAZ said.

A post-mortem examination concluded that the cause of death was brain injury, subarachnoid haemorrhage and severe head trauma.

Kadhlanga fled after the incident but was arrested more than a week later, on 31 December 2025.