A man has been arrested in Beitbridge, Zimbabwe, for the murder of two sisters, Everjoy and Sandra Chapasuka, both aged 30 and 20 years respectively.
The suspect, Philani Mukothamo, allegedly killed the sisters before burning their remains in their rented house in the Vhembe-view suburb two weeks ago.
Police initially treated the incident as an ordinary house fire, but after a series of investigations, they found evidence pointing towards murder.
Chief Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo, the police officer commanding Beitbridge District, confirmed the arrest on Monday and charged the suspect with two counts of murder.
“Initially, the case was being treated as an ordinary case of a house fire, but our investigations are pointing to murder. The suspect will soon appear in court pending further investigations,” said Nyongo.
According to Nyongo, Mukothamo was married to Everjoy, and Sandra had come to visit them seeking employment in Beitbridge. Mukothamo allegedly left the sisters at home on March 7 and went to Mashavire Business Centre.
On the following morning, a neighbour heard an explosion and called the police when they found out about the fire. The Beitbridge Fire Brigade was quickly alerted, and they were able to put out the fire.
However, the remains of the two sisters were found burnt beyond recognition in a corner of the room.
Forensic experts were called in to investigate the cause of the fire. The motive behind the murder is still unknown.
