ZIMBABWE – Reports indicate that woman reportedly killed her four daughters by slitting their throats before drinking poison in a bid to end her life.

The woman, Emilda Marazani, 29, also went to set her matrimonial Highview home on fire to burn her dead children before handing herself over to the police to report what she had done and stating that she had taken a pesticide to end her life.

She did not die from the poison and is in police custody.

The children are aged between one and nine years.

Police confirmed the incident saying the altercation emanated from a text message from a suspected girlfriend that was intercepted by Marazana in her husband Lameck Brande’s, 43, phone.

The children have been identified as Amanda, 9, Yolanda, 5, Ayanda, 3, and Glenda aged one.

“The police rushed to the scene where they found that neighbours had already retrieved two bodies of the younger girls. The two elder girls’ bodies could not be retrieved due to the intensity of the fire.

“They were burnt beyond recognition,” said Police Spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi in a statement.

Police said after Marazani intercepted the messages, she, together with her husband, drove to Chirumhanzi to seek audience from the her relatives and they went back home where they slept overnight.

“On 11 November 2020, the husband woke up and went to work as usual.

“The suspect, who works at a family grocery shop at Chirumanzi Shopping Centre in Chivhu, did not go to work,” Ass Comm Nyathi said.

Ass Comm Nyathi said Marazani went to Chivhu town where she bought an unknown pesticide ostensibly to commit suicide.

“She went back home where she locked all her kids in the house.

“She allegedly tied the two elder girls’ legs together before slitting their throats using a kitchen knife,” Ass Comm Nyathi said.

Police said Marazani also went on to use the same kitchen knife to slit the other two girls’ throats leading to their death.

“She allegedly drank the pesticide before setting the house on fire with all the dead children inside.”

Police said neighbours saw smoke coming out of the house and they went on to inquire but Marazani assured them that it was a small fire she had already extinguished.

“The fire continued while the suspect went to Chivhu Police Station where she reported that she had drunk some poison after killing all her children,” Ass Comm Nyathi said.