A 21-year-old local man allegedly drenched his pregnant wife with paraffin and set her on fire after she refused to go and help his grandmother weed her garden, New Zimbabwe reports.
According to the report Tafadzwa Tichareva of Waterfalls appeared before magistrate Elizabeth Mugwagwa Wednesday facing assault and attempted murder charges.
He was remanded to January 25 pending his trial.
The incident happened in August last year when the 20-year-old wife, Tsitsi Chibinya, reportedly refused to help his grandmother weed her garden as she was pregnant.
It was gathered that Tichareva left his wife at home and went to his grandmother’s homestead. He came back after an hour and the grandmother in tow with a wheelbarrow claiming that they wanted to collect his belongings.
He blocked the grandmother and barred her husband from leaving her which triggered a fight. Prosecutors said Tichareva assaulted his wife with open hands repeatedly.
Later the wife asked for some money to buy food but Tichareva refused saying he could not take care of her as he had no money. He reportedly told the wife to leave him and go back to her parents. The wife refused to leave which angered Tichareva.
He then reached for a five-litre container filled with paraffin and emptied it on his wife before setting her on fire. Court heard upon realising that Chibinya was burning, he tried to put the fire out with his bare hands to no avail. He then locked his wife in the house and went away.
The wife managed to reach for a bucket of water which she poured on herself, putting the fire out. The case was then reported to the police leading to Tichareva’s arrest.
Chibinya was treated at Harare hospital in Zimbabwe.
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