Zimbabwean Nurse, Bridget Makaza was sentenced to 27 years in jail for the premeditated and cold-blooded murder of her husband, Macloud Zvarova-wiri Mapunga, in Harare in May 2018. High Court Judge Emelia Muchawa found overwhelming evidence that Makaza traveled to South Africa to procure a revolver, smuggled it into Zimbabwe, and shot her husband multiple times before staging the scene to look like a robbery. The ruling emphasized that the crime was meticulously planned and carried out, arising from a history of domestic abuse and conflict. Makaza was arrested in December 2024 after returning from the UK where she had fled.
High Court Judge Emelia Muchawa found overwhelming evidence that Makaza killed her husband and sentenced her to 27 years. Makaza was found guilty of procuring a .38 Amadeo Rossi revolver in South Africa, smuggling it into Zimbabwe, and shooting her husband multiple times, including three fatal shots to the shoulders and neck.
After the shooting, she staged the crime scene as a robbery, shouting “thief, thief” before leaving her seriously injured husband and later calling an ambulance. The judge determined the crime was premeditated. Makaza later led police to the recovery of the firearm and gloves used.
Makaza had traveled to South Africa to buy the gun, returned to commit the murder, was granted bail, fled to the United Kingdom, and was finally arrested upon her return to Zimbabwe in December 2024.
