He constantly scratches his unkempt grey hair while
aimlessly staring in space, as if he is somehow waiting for a solution to his
woes to fall from the skies.
In 2015, he was sentenced to 20 years at Chikurubi Maximum
Prison for a crime of passion that is unexpected for a man of his age –
murdering his fourth wife.
But doing time is the least of his worries and reason for
his sleepless nights.
“If I am lucky to walk out of this place alive, I will be
87-years-old,” he says as he uses his pale, old, shaky fingers to gesture for
emphasis.
“However, I have accepted that I might die in here. What
gives me sleepless nights is the blood on my hands.
“I am afraid of avenging spirits. The spirits might not
affect me since I do not have many years left to live, but I have children. I
do not want them to be punished for my sins.
“My wish is to settle this matter with my in-laws before I
die. However, I am stuck in this place for many years, how will I do that?”
Kazunga says.
As a sworn polygamist, his family had readily accepted his
life choices. In 1997, when he was 28-years-old, Kazunga married his first wife
and sired five children.
Sixteen years later, he married his second wife and the
couple also had five children. A third wife was added to the ever-expanding
family in 2000, but unfortunately, she died after two years.
It was, however, his marriage to a fourth wife, Juliet
Kembo, in 2006 that turned his life topsy-turvy.
The fated union only lasted nine years. The Chikurubi
inmate, who professes to be a hard worker that always provided for his
expansive brood, forever rues that fateful day in 2015.
In fact, he is still locked in a time capsule. The former
Mount Darwin-based Kazunga reportedly dutifully visited his first wife in
Guruve for a few days.
After making an unannounced return to his Mt Darwin home,
which he shared with Juliet, he made a painful discovery that any man dreads –
he walked in on his wife being intimate with an unidentified man on their
matrimonial bed.
An altercation, which heatedly degenerated into a fist
fight, ensued, but Kazunga was overpowered by his rival suitor, who subsequently
made good his escape.
Kazunga – who had suffered a double whammy of being
humiliated and thumped – succumbed to his bruised ego.
In an inexplicable moment of deranged rage, he then stabbed
his wife twice on the neck, killing her instantly.
When he came to himself, Kazunga fled and sought refuge at
his daughter and son-in-law’s house. The latter alerted the police of the
heinous crime, leading to Kazunga’s arrest.
“I loved Juliet, to tell you the truth,” he said during the
interview. “I remember I had paid ZW$1,4 trillion as a lobola, and although we
never had children together, I loved her so much.
“The moment I saw her lying next to another man, I could
not bear it, I got furious. She was mine.” He reckons if he could turn back the
hands of time, he would not harm his beloved Juliet.
“Although I loved her, it was not worth it,” he added. “I
should have just let her go with her lover. I am sure by now I would have
forgotten about her and moved on with my life.
“I am now an old man, in prison, with no family and with a
dead woman’s spirit hanging above my head for the rest of my life.
“My life should serve as lesson to all men out there. If
you ever find your wife or partner with another man, let her go. Do not kill
her. Do not try to teach her a lesson, just let her go.”
Kazunga’s final wish is to meet with his family, especially
his in-laws. “I rarely get visits from my family. The last time I got a visit
was from my daughter in 2017,” he said softly.
“I am appealing to my family and in-laws to visit me so
that we can settle the matter before I die. I have a few beasts that I can give
them as compensation.
“I think this is one thing that will ease my mind and help
me find rest even in death.” With his hands folded behind his back, he lowly
hangs his head and drags his feet back to his cell.
He looks up the huge thick walls that surround him,
probably praying for his loved one beyond to come and help lift the burden he
carries. Sunday Mail
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