In a landmark ruling that has sent shockwaves across the nation, the High Court in Harare has sentenced Bridget Makaza to 27 years in prison for the cold-blooded murder of her husband, MaCloud Zvavovaviri Mapanga, the owner of Kurai Coaches. The verdict, delivered by Justice Emilia Muchawa, concludes a five-year legal battle that gripped Zimbabwe, underscoring the judiciary’s zero-tolerance stance on premeditated violence.
On May 14, 2018, Makaza shot Mapanga three times in the right shoulder, above the left shoulder, and grazing his neck ,while he slept in their Belvedere home. She staged a robbery, claiming intruders stole US$12,000, but investigations exposed her deceit. No forced entry was found, and forensic tests matched the bullets to a .38 Amadeo Rossi revolver she had smuggled from South Africa.
Makaza’s defense , citing years of abuse, a struggle over the gun, and coerced confession , was dismissed as “lame and incredible fabrication.” Justice Muchawa ruled the murder was *premeditated*: Makaza traveled to South Africa on May 2, 2018, to buy the weapon, waited for Mapanga to sleep, and *deliberately fired the shots*. She disposed of the gun and gloves in a swamp before reporting the fake robbery.
“The accused planned to execute the deceased,” Justice Muchawa declared. “Her conduct before, during, and after the murder shows a , calculated act of vengeance.” Makaza fled to the UK after being granted bail but was rearrested in December 2024.
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