A Chipinge single mother who so desperately wanted to get married again that she killed her own daughter has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. Her lover was also sentenced to the same as he was part of the diabolical act.

Violet Chabvukwa (36) and her lover, Langton Sithole (30), were found guilty of murdering her four-year-old daughter, Blessing, by Mutare High Court Judge Justice Isaac Muzenda.

Justice Muzenda sentenced the murderous couple to 30 years in prison, each for their heinous crime.

During the trial, the prosecutor told the court that Chabvukwa and Sithole were madly in love and wanted to get married. However, Sithole was worried that his family would not accept Chabvukwa because she was a single mother.

As a result, the two plotted to kill Blessing to get her out of the way of their nuptials. Sithole told the court,

“I admit to the charges levelled against me. I was in love with Violet, who is the mother of the now deceased. I told Violet (Chabukwa) that we could not marry each other as my parents could not allow me to marry a woman with a child from a previous marriage.

“On May 30, I connived with Violet to kill Blessing. I went to the dam first and sat on the dam wall. Violet then came with the deceased and sat close to me while holding the baby by her stomach.

“I took an empty peanut butter container and covered both the nose and the mouth of the now-deceased until she suffocated and passed away. I then took the towel which was in my possession and gave it to Violet so that she could wipe the blood that was coming from Blessing’s nose.

“We removed Blessing’s top garment and placed her body at the edge of the dam while her legs were submerged in the water.”

After the two committed the heinous crime, they left Blessing’s body by the dam.

Their offence came to light when someone anonymously tipped off the police. The detectives narrowed on and arrested Sithole and his lover following thorough investigations.