GWERU — After a dramatic international manhunt spanning four years and multiple countries, fugitive murder accused Peter Dube has been convicted of two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder by the Bulawayo High Court.
He now awaits sentencing after a damning judgment by Justice Munamato Mutevedzi.
The court found that Dube unleashed “unmitigated violence” on the night of April 22, 2021, killing Shelton Chiduku and Gamuchirai Madungwe and shooting Nyasha Nharingo and Nyaradzo Nharingo, leaving both women seriously injured. Nyaradzo later died from the complications of her wounds, a fact the judge noted with concern.
He was accusing his friend Chiduku, who was a gold dealer based in Kwekwe, of having an affair with his girlfriend, Nyasha.
“The medieval ruthlessness with which the violence manifested was said to have shaken the usually sleepy town of Gweru,” Justice Mutevedzi wrote. 
The judge rejected Dube’s claim that he had been suffering from mental illness at the time, describing his defence as malingering, calculated, and unsupported by evidence.
After the shootings, Dube – who ran a popular car sale in Gweru – vanished from Zimbabwe. The judgment reveals for the first time the full details of his escape.
Justice Mutevedzi detailed how Dube fled Gweru the same night, assisted by his senior wife, Nomatter Chawana. He crossed into South Africa, moved on to Eswatini and acquired a false Mozambican identity. He subsequently flew to Ireland, where he lived undetected for years.
“By his own admission, he escaped with the aid of his senior wife… acquired a pseudonym… and used it to fly to and settle in Ireland,” the court said. 
His cover was blown abroad, resulting in him being deported first to Mozambique, where he was disowned, and then to Zimbabwe.
The judgment paints a vivid and harrowing picture of the violence.
Earlier that day, Nyasha and her sister Nyaradzo had travelled to Masvingo with their friends, the now-deceased Shelton and Gamu, to collect a passport. On their return, they found Dube had locked himself in their apartment.
When police briefly intervened and left, the situation deteriorated quickly.
Dube went downstairs, armed himself with a gun, and confronted Shelton and Gamu in the car park.
“At point-blank range, he shot Shelton and killed him instantly… Gamu tried to flee. Unfortunately, she couldn’t go far. She was also shot and died on the spot.” 
Consumed by what the judge called an “implacable rage,” Dube then stormed upstairs.
Justice Mutevedzi went on: “From very close range, he shot Nyasha… The bullet entered her cheek and exited the other side of the neck. He then took aim at Nyaradzo… The bullet found its mark just above her right eye… Her eye was ruptured. Satisfied with his grisly handiwork, the accused nonchalantly walked out and left the scene which resembled a graveyard.” 
Dube claimed he suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy, saying he had no recollection of the shootings and that he was mentally incapacitated.
But Justice Mutevedzi found the testimony of State psychiatrist Dr Nemache Mawere compelling. The expert described Dube as evasive, inconsistent, and deliberately theatrical during examinations.
The judge cited Dr Mawere’s observation that: “The accused was simply play-acting… His gestures were not sequential… He was trying to run away from punishment.” 
The court also noted that Dube managed a sophisticated escape across several countries, maintained relationships with both wives, managed his businesses, and navigated foreign immigration systems – actions wholly incompatible with severe mental illness.
“The conduct of the accused after the commission of the offence did not align with a person who had lost his memory,” the judge said. 
Ultimately, Justice Mutevedzi concluded that the defence had “failed to prove, on a balance of probabilities,” that Dube was mentally disordered at the time – the legal threshold required for a special verdict of insanity.
Justice Mutevedzi expressed disquiet about Nyaradzo’s later death. She never recovered from her gunshot injuries and later died, yet prosecutors did not charge Dube with her murder.
“Why then that death was not added to the list of murders can only be explained by prosecution,” he said.
The role of Dube’s senior wife also bothered the judge. She helped him flee, yet was never questioned.
“She possibly committed a crime… but nobody ever raised an eyebrow against her,” the judge remarked. 
With the insanity defence rejected, and with Dube admitting he shot the victims, while claiming memory loss, the court found him guilty of all four charges – two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Justice Mutevedzi said that the killings were deliberate, targeted, and executed with chilling calmness.
Dube now awaits sentencing. – ZimLive
