Dying Declaration

"e;Masimba not only transforms the face of Zimbabwean literature by departing from the traditional themes portraying socio-economic issues, but also creates a crime series that mirrors the modern crime-cum-thriller detective stories like the James Hadley Chase crime thrillers or Alexander McCall Smith's The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency thriller set in Botswana."e;- Sarudzayi Barnes, The Standard.Ce-Ce and Farai Chisango recall reading about Ratidzo Chawatama, who stabbed her husband with a kitchen knife before dousing herself with petrol and setting herself on fire, following a domestic dispute. After a week-long battle in intensive care, Mrs Chawatama had succumbed to her injuries. Self-immolation, sadly, occurs frequently enough in Zimbabwe for the police to close the case quickly, and urge couples to seek mediation.Then, a Miss Revai Nengomasha, Ratidzo's niece, walks into their office, and presents the detectives with a startling story; a healthcare assistant claimed that in brief periods where the medication had worn off, Ratidzo had told him that someone else had stabbed Mr Chawatama and set her on fire… The sibling detectives are on the case.