A 24-year-old woman was fatally stabbed in Chegutu after turning down a man’s romantic advances, police said, as officers appealed for information that could lead to the arrest of a suspect known only as Gunners.
Omega Matope was stabbed in the left thigh at a house in Chegutu on Thursday, 24 September. She was taken to Chegutu District Hospital, but died upon admission, according to the police account of the incident.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police said the suspect fled after the attack and is being sought in connection with a murder case. Police have not provided any further details about the relationship between Matope and the man, or explained what happened immediately before the stabbing.
In an appeal for information, the police said: “The ZRP is appealing for information which may assist in the arrest of a suspect only known as Gunners who is being sought in connection with a case of murder which occurred at a house in Chegutu on 24/09/26.”
The statement continued: “The suspect allegedly stabbed the victim, a 24-year-old woman, Omega Matope, on the left thigh after she turned down the suspect’s love proposal.”
It added: “The victim was rushed to Chegutu District Hospital, where she died upon admission.”
Anyone with information about Gunners or the attack has been asked to report to the nearest police station. Information can also be passed to the National Complaints Desk on 0242703631 or by WhatsApp on 0712800197.
The killing comes after another Zimbabwean woman died in an attack linked to rejected romantic advances last year. Rosemary Diana, 40, was fatally assaulted at a bar at Mutegude Shops in Redcliff, Kwekwe, on 10 August 2025. Police later arrested Thembinkosi Ndlovu, 22, and Nkosinomusa Moyo, 24, in connection with the case.
Police said Diana had rejected Moyo’s advances before the attack. In a statement confirming the arrests, national police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said: “Police in Kwekwe arrested Thembinkosi Ndlovu (22) and Nkosinomusa Moyo (24) in connection with a case of murder which occurred on August 10, 2025, at a bar at Mutegude Shops, Redcliff where Rosemary Diana (40) died.”
Nyathi said: “Ndlovu struck the victim with a cooking stick all over the body while Moyo stabbed her with a knife on the back.”
The two cases, separated by just over a year, have placed renewed attention on attacks in which men respond to rejection with violence. In Chegutu, the attack happened inside a house and ended with Matope dying in hospital. In Redcliff, the assault took place at a public bar and involved two men, according to the police account.
Other cases reported in Zimbabwe in 2026 have also involved women killed or seriously harmed in domestic or intimate settings. In July, a 43-year-old church elder in Bulawayo faced a murder charge after his wife was killed with an axe in the Nkulumane suburb. Their children were also attacked with a metal rod, according to details released during the case.
The issue was further highlighted after the deaths of Zandile Khumalo Tshuma, 42, and her daughters Natalie, 15, and Nala, five. The three were found dead at their home in Great Denham, Bedfordshire, on 6 July. Their bodies were later taken to Bulawayo, where relatives and mourners gathered for their funeral in August. A British-Zimbabwean man was being sought in connection with the deaths after travelling to South Africa.
At the funeral, family members spoke of their grief and their hope that the killings would be dealt with through the justice system. Theophilus Khumalo, an uncle of Tshuma and her daughters, said: “We will allow the law to take its course. We will not be drawn into anger or bitterness; we will not allow this tragedy to define us. Instead, we choose to honour their memory with grace, unity and unwavering faith in God’s justice.”
The cases have been reported against a wider background of gender-based violence in Zimbabwe. Government figures covering 2020 to 2024 show that a large proportion of women aged between 15 and 49 have experienced physical violence, while organisations working with survivors have recorded tens of thousands of gender-based violence incidents.
Police recorded nearly 19,000 such cases in one recent year, while the women’s rights organisation Musasa reported more than 30,000 incidents. Much of the violence takes place in homes or involves current or former partners, although the Chegutu and Redcliff killings show that deadly attacks can also follow a single rejected advance.
The latest case has left investigators seeking the whereabouts of a man known as Gunners, while Matope’s family faces the loss of a young woman whose life ended after she said no to a proposal. The police appeal remains the main route for information about the suspect, the movements after the stabbing and the events inside the Chegutu house on 24 September.
Police urged anyone who witnessed the attack, knows the suspect or has information about where he may be staying to come forward without delay. The investigation is continuing as officers work to trace Gunners and establish the full circumstances surrounding Matope’s death.