A handwritten note attributed to a Harare nurse accused of killing her husband with an axe before turning on herself has deepened divisions between the two bereaved families, after it was reportedly discovered while her personal belongings were being packed for burial.
Lyliosa Chirara, 43, is alleged to have attacked her husband, Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) Commissioner Martin Muduva, 42, at their home in Dzivarasekwa Extension following a marital dispute. She is said to have taken her own life shortly afterwards.
Note surfaces during burial preparations
According to accounts given to local media, the note came to light as relatives prepared to transport Chirara’s clothing and personal effects to Njanja for her burial — a practice in which a deceased person’s belongings are placed in the grave in line with custom.
Nancy Tembo, described as a close friend of Chirara, said a group of women came across the note tucked among her clothes, together with other documents, and read it before mourners had gathered at the Dzivarasekwa Extension house.
“After informing the Muduva family about the note, they did not want it read, but the Chirara family read it,” Tembo was quoted as saying. She added that the disagreement that followed prompted some people to leave the property, and that no members of the Muduva family attended Chirara’s burial.
Divorce had reportedly been discussed
A relative who spoke on condition of anonymity said the couple had at some point explored the possibility of ending their marriage.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed that detectives were still working on the case, and said investigators had not yet been handed the document that has been circulating in media reports.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police is yet to see the suicide note reported to have been left by the deceased,” Nyathi said. “Police are investigating the murder and sudden death by suicide cases in Dzivarasekwa Extension.”
What the letter allegedly says
In the note, as quoted in published reports, Chirara wrote that she had meant her marriage vows literally, stating that when she married Muduva she had promised “till death do us part” and that she had understood the words exactly as they were spoken.
She is said to have opened by asking her relatives for forgiveness, claiming she had been pushed to act by what she described as years of torment and suffering. “I have done this because of being tormented and the suffering I have endured for a long time,” she allegedly wrote, adding that although many people believed she was at peace, she had in fact been struggling.
The letter reportedly alleges that the couple had not shared a bedroom between 2022 and 2025, and that Muduva believed his PhD meant he should not be with a wife he regarded as uneducated. She further claimed he withheld information about his earnings, told her she had no right to know how much he made, and discouraged her from starting a small business selling chickens and eggs.
Chirara also alleged that her husband had spent a year living with another woman before returning to tell her he had found a partner better suited to his status — someone who understood technology and could accompany him to public functions. She said she only learned of an alleged secret marriage after seeing a social media post about a roora (bride price) ceremony.
She named Patience Mangwiro in the note, writing that she hoped Mangwiro would now be happy, and telling the Muduva family they could “take Patience Mangwiro, the one you went to marry secretly,” describing her as the educated daughter-in-law who could meet the family’s needs.
According to the quoted text, Chirara said that on the day of the killing her husband had told her she was no longer the right wife for him. She addressed a family elder, referred to as “Babamukuru Baba vaPhilip,” accusing him of encouraging Muduva to look for a more educated wife and of failing to intervene in her marital problems while helping to arrange the other marriage. She closed by asking him to look after her children, writing that her children knew nothing about what had happened and that she had wanted to see them grow up.
Investigations continue
The allegations contained in the note have not been tested in any court or formal inquiry, and the document itself has not been verified by police. Investigators are handling both the killing and the subsequent death as linked cases.
The deaths have drawn attention to the often-hidden pressures inside marriages and to the difficulty victims face in seeking help before disputes turn fatal. Counselling services and organisations working on gender-based violence continue to urge anyone in a troubled relationship to seek assistance before situations escalate.
