Gweru Car Dealer Peter Dube Murder Trial Nears Verdict

The high-profile trial of Gweru car dealer, Peter Dube, who stands accused of murdering his second wife’s alleged lover and her friend in a suspected crime of passion, has concluded, with judgement expected in the coming weeks.

Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Munamato Mutevedzi, is set to deliver the verdict following the submission of closing arguments from both the State and the defence.

The State filed its final submissions on 1 August, while Dube’s legal team is expected to submit theirs by Friday.

The trial, which began on 28 July, comes nearly three years after Dube fled Zimbabwe in the wake of the shootings in Gweru.

In his warned and cautioned statement, Dube denied the charges, acting on legal advice from his former solicitor, Tuso Maputsenyika of Mhaka Attorneys in Gweru.

Dube was arrested in Ireland where he had sought refuge under a false identity before being deported.

Initially placed under remand for exhibiting signs of mental instability ahead of his High Court appearance.

Dube allegedly drank water from a toilet basin and was talking to himself prior to his High Court appearance last year. He has since been declared fit to stand trial following psychiatric evaluation.

According to the State, Dube allegedly shot Shelton Chiduku, his wife’s suspected lover, and her friend Gamuchirai Mudungwe fatally on 23 April 2021 at Bensam Flats, Main Street, Gweru.

He also allegedly injured his wife Nyasha Nharingo and her sister Nyaradzo during the attack.

Court records reveal that Dube was enraged after learning Nyasha had travelled to Masvingo with the three others without informing him. Court papers read:

At around 8PM, the accused approached the flat, confronted Nyasha, and a heated argument ensued. He went downstairs where he found Chiduku and Mudungwe and opened fire.

An altercation reportedly broke out, prompting Dube to confront Chiduku and Mudungwe downstairs. He allegedly shot Chiduku, who died on the spot.

As Mudungwe attempted to flee up the staircase, Dube is said to have shot her in the face. The bullet entered near her left cheek and nose, causing her to collapse and die at the foot of the stairs.

Dube then allegedly returned upstairs, shooting his wife Nyasha in the right cheek. The bullet exited through her neck, dislodged a molar, and lodged in her shoulder.

He then shot her sister, Nyaradzo, above the left ear. The bullet exited and ruptured her right eye.

Both women survived after undergoing emergency surgery at Gweru Provincial Hospital and were later discharged.

Following the shootings, Dube fled Zimbabwe for South Africa, then Eswatini, where he assumed a new identity, Xolile Mtsali on 28 October 2021.

He later travelled to Ireland and was arrested in Dublin on 14 June 2023 for immigration violations.

He had claimed to be Mozambican national Armando Quenete Muchanga in an effort to evade deportation.

Irish authorities deported him to Mozambique, where officials verified his true identity. He was then extradited to Zimbabwe.

More: Chronicle