Affair Claims Emerge After Harare Murder-Suicide

By Staff Reporter | Harare

Fresh details have emerged about the domestic tragedy that claimed the lives of Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) Commissioner Dr Martin Muduva and his wife, nurse Lyliosa Chirara, amid reports that tensions over an alleged long-term extramarital relationship had troubled the couple for years.

Muduva, 42, died at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals on Wednesday after sustaining serious injuries during an alleged attack at the couple’s home in Dzivarasekwa Extension, Harare.

Chirara, 43, died after allegedly ingesting rat poison shortly after the attack.

Police have confirmed that they are investigating the deaths. National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said investigations were ongoing, while preliminary information indicated that the couple had a misunderstanding over alleged infidelity.

According to ZBC, Chirara allegedly struck Muduva with an unidentified object, suspected to have been an axe, causing deep injuries to his head and right hand. She allegedly drank rat poison after realising the seriousness of his injuries. A neighbour was alerted and helped take the couple to a 24-hour medical facility, where Chirara was pronounced dead on admission. Muduva was transferred to Parirenyatwa for further treatment but later died. The circumstances surrounding the incident have since prompted reports about tensions within the couple’s marriage.

According to Chirara’s friend Nancy Tembo, the couple had experienced difficulties over Muduva’s reported relationship with another woman, with whom he was said to have had a child. Tembo told local media that Chirara had spoken to her about the relationship and had struggled to accept the other woman. Reports have also emerged that Muduva had recently formalised his relationship with the woman through a lobola ceremony.

A photograph from the ceremony was reportedly shared on WhatsApp before being removed. According to people close to Chirara, seeing the post caused her significant emotional distress. However, the reported lobola ceremony and WhatsApp post have not been established by police as the cause of the attack. The Herald reported that police investigations were focusing on the circumstances surrounding the alleged attack and subsequent death of both spouses.

More disturbing details have emerged from relatives about the moments after the attack. One of the couple’s three children reportedly discovered Muduva seriously injured in the bedroom, with an axe allegedly found nearby. The child also reportedly saw Chirara writing in a book before she collapsed.

A relative told local media that a sachet believed to contain rat poison was subsequently found. These accounts have not been independently verified by police and remain part of the emerging reports surrounding the tragedy. Muduva was a lecturer at Midlands State University and had been appointed a ZHRC commissioner on December 19, 2024. The commission described his death as a devastating loss, highlighting his contribution to human rights, technology and administrative justice.

The deaths have left the couple’s children and relatives facing the loss of both parents within hours. The tragedy has also triggered wider discussion about domestic conflict, infidelity, unresolved marital disputes and the devastating consequences of violence within families. But with police investigations still under way, the precise sequence of events and the motive behind the attack remain to be established.

The bodies of Muduva and Chirara were taken to the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals mortuary for post-mortem examinations. Authorities are expected to rely on forensic evidence, witness statements and post-mortem findings to establish what happened inside the Dzivarasekwa home. For now, the reported affair, lobola ceremony and WhatsApp post provide context to the tragedy, but should not be treated as proven cause or motive until investigators establish the facts.

Martin Muduva death