ALTHOUGH the term bluebeard is stereotypically used in reference to wife-killers, may be time is now that such murders should not be referred to as ‘crime of passion’ because murdering your partner is so unfathomably cruel.
Just how some husbands continue to commit such extraordinary and brutal murders of their wives, is simply shocking.
We think someone should tell these black-hearted husbands that are killing their wives for whatever reason, is not a solution to their perceived exasperations.
Wife killing in Zambia has become almost a custom and it is important that we understand the real state of mind that leads these men to kill their partners.
Needless to say, explaining the men’s horrifying behavior as stemming from love is in no way a validation for their actions.
It is often believed that a murdering husband is often a weaker partner who sees his wife as his whole world and the condition of his existence.
If the man’s aptitude to preserve his view of himself as a human being relies on the wife being part of his life, it is almost impossible to let her go.
It is at this point that love turns the woman into a prisoner to the man’s life and this puts her own life at risk leading to these senseless murders.
Take this senseless killing of a 36- year-old Jessie Mwape of Mwense District, in Luapula Province, who was beaten to death by her husband who got incensed when he found her drunk.
Surly for merely being drunk, a husband thinks that his wife does not deserve to live when high chances are that he was beating her to death while in drunken stupor.
Acting police spokesperson, Danny Mwale, who confirmed the incident said Ms Mwape’s husband, Daniel Kabaso, is now on the run and police are vigorously pursuing him.
Mr Mwale said the incident happened yesterday around 01:00 hours in Mwense’s Kapakala East.
He said police visited the scene and found cuts on the head, legs and arms on Ms Mwape’s body.
“It is alleged that the incident happened when the husband, identified as Daniel Kabaso, found his wife very drunk,” Mr Mwale said.
Mr Mwale said Ms Mwape body has since been deposited in Mwense District Hospital mortuary awaiting postmortem.
And police in Lusaka are holding a 35-year-old man identified as Chipo Sikazwe of Yellow Shop in Makeni Villa over the death of his 27-year-old wife identified as Mercy Banda.
Mr Mwale said preliminary investigations had revealed that the couple fought on Saturday around 07:00 hours.
He said the husband only discovered that his wife was dead around 18:00 hours after knocking off from work.
Mr Mwale said Ms Banda’s body was in the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) mortuary awaiting postmortem.
No one can deny that explanations for the murder of wives share many common assumptions such as masculine possessiveness, sexual jealousy and anger that trigger it and the murder becomes the climax of a history of violence that preceded it.
These weird murders of wives are not an unintended result of violence that went too far as most of them are well-planned- some done under Dutch courage.
Therefore, wife murders cannot be assumed in terms of loss of control or local insanity, it is rather a measured act created through mental readiness for committing the murder.
The Church, we think has an extremely central role to play in preaching ethical values in the communities to make sure that problems are determined through dialogue and not otherwise.
