A court has sentenced a married man from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe identified as Moses Remayi, to 18 years imprisonment over the assault on his sidechick which led to her demise.

The attack, triggered by Remayi’s suspicion of infidelity over a missed phone call, left the victim suffering for days before she succumbed to her injuries.

The tragic incident unfolded when Remayi became enraged after his girlfriend refused to answer a call from an unknown number. He believed the call was from another man, sparking an argument that quickly turned violent. Testifying in court, Remayi admitted his anger intensified when he dialed the number and a man answered.

“I dialled the number using my phone, and a man answered. This made me angry, as I suspected she was cheating on me,” Remayi told the court.

Remayi’s brutal assault on his girlfriend included beating her with a steel chair, fists, and feet. According to witnesses, he locked the door and continued the attack for nearly an hour. A co-tenant, Evidence Denhere, testified that despite hearing the victim’s screams and attempting to intervene, Remayi refused to stop.

“No one could stop him as he had locked the door,” Denhere said.

After the attack, a neighbor, Cynthia Chaleka, found the woman severely injured and half-naked. Despite being rushed to the hospital, the victim succumbed to her injuries days later.

Remayi was arrested by the police, who recovered the iron bar used in the attack. In his defense, Remayi claimed that the violence began after his girlfriend bit him during their argument. However, the court rejected his explanation, finding him guilty of murder.

Appearing before Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Evangelista Kabasa, Remayi was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the crime, despite pleading not guilty.

The senseless killing has shocked the local community, with many expressing outrage over the brutality of the attack. Remayi now faces nearly two decades in prison for his actions.