The Herald  Harare

Man Gets Death Penalty

 November 27, 2002

Harare

 A RUSAPE man raped and killed a woman and her two-year-old son after lying to her that he had been sent to collect them by her boyfriend whom he lived with at a nearby farm.

 Brian Rushambwa Sango has been sentenced to death for murdering his friend's girlfriend, Rosemary Matsika, and her son Takudzwa.

Sango (27) had pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder.

 But Justice Gowora and assessors Mr Chidawanyika and Mr Kujinga, sitting in Mutare last Friday, found him guilty on two counts of murder with actual intent.

 The court found no extenuating factors in the matter.

 On March 31 last year, Sango went to Wakefield Farm, about four kilometres from Adams Farm where the woman worked and lived with her lover, Wilson Mugodhi.

 He lied to her that he had been sent by her boyfriend, Mugodhi, to collect her. And on the way, Sango raped the woman at knife-point, assaulted her and her child, and cut her with a machete.

 The two died on the spot.

 Their remains were found a month later, but after having been devoured by hyenas in the bush at Wakefield Farm. At the scene of the murder, two human skulls, a few ribs, lady's clothing, a shawl, a baby blanket and a baby sling belonging to the victims were found.

 Earlier, in her judgement Justice Gowora accepted the version of the State witnesses as credible against that of Sango.

 She dismissed the suggestion by Sango's lawyer Mr Chris Ndlovu of Gonese and Ndlovu that the evidence against Sango was mere suspicion or at best circumstantial.

 "In our view the accused intended to cause the death of the two. When the two were killed no one else was present apart from the perpetrator. Unless the accused were to prove a reason for the murder it would be impossible to glean a motive from the circumstantial evidence," said Justice Gowora.