Bindura Woman Jailed for Scalding Co-Wife, Another for Hot Oil Attack on Ex-Husband

Harare - Two women from Bindura have been sentenced to effective three-year prison terms each in separate but similar brutal domestic violence incidents involving the use of hot water and boiling cooking oil, Kwedu News has learnt.

In the first case, a 25-year-old woman from Chiwaridzo 3 was convicted after attacking her co-wife with hot water during a dispute over their shared husband.

The Bindura Magistrate Court heard that the incident occurred on February 20, 2026, when the complainant visited the offender’s residence in Garikai, Bindura.

“Upon arrival, she found the offender seated on the veranda and inquired about the husband’s whereabouts,” the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) said on Tuesday. 

“Moments later, she emerged carrying a container filled with hot water,” the court heard.

The attacker then advanced towards the complainant and deliberately poured the hot water over her body before retreating into the house, leaving the victim with severe burns to her back, hands and head.

The court sentenced the offender to an effective three years’ imprisonment after she pleaded guilty to the assault.

In a separate incident, a 24-year-old woman from Kufa Village under Chief Musana was also sentenced to an effective three years in prison for pouring hot cooking oil on her ex-husband.

The court heard  attack took place on April 4, 2026, when the complainant visited his former in-laws’ homestead to see his child.

While he was seated outside the kitchen area, the offender suddenly appeared carrying a pot of hot oil.

She approached him and uttered the words “Ndakubata” (“I got you”) before splashing the oil onto the right side of his face and hand.

“As the complainant attempted to flee, the offender followed up with a second attack, pouring more hot oil onto his back and left arm,” the court heard.

The victim sustained serious burns. The offender pleaded guilty to physical abuse and was initially sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, with two years suspended for five years, resulting in an effective three-year custodial sentence.

Condemning the incidents, the NPAZ warned against the escalation of domestic disputes into violence.

“Personal conflicts, no matter how emotionally charged, must never be resolved through physical harm,” the authority said, adding that “acts of violence within domestic settings are treated with utmost seriousness.”

The prosecution authority further urged the public to seek peaceful means of resolving disputes.

“Such conduct attracts severe custodial penalties. Members of the public are urged to resolve disputes peacefully and seek lawful intervention mechanisms rather than resorting to violence,” the authority said in a statement.

Zimbabwe continues to grapple with cases of gender-based violence, with authorities and advocacy groups calling for increased awareness and stronger community interventions to prevent such attacks.