A 51-year-old Zambian woman was murdered by four unknown suspects, while her 10-year-old son watched helplessly, police have said.

The local police spokesperson, Insp Tafanana Dzirutwe, said the incident occurred on Friday, August 14, at about 19:00 at a bushy area near Beit Bridge District Hospital.

“The victim was on her way to Dulibadzimu bus terminus in the company of her son and three other relatives, who were seeing her off. On approaching an area near the local hospital, four unknown armed men emerged from a nearby bush and ordered them to drop their bags and they complied,” he said.

“The suspects then picked the women’s bags and fled. The woman and her son then followed the suspects, and when they caught up with them they then tried to plead with them to give them back their belongings,” said the police spokesperson.

“That prompted one of the suspects to grab the woman and stab her on the right collar bone and she collapsed.” Soon after the incident, the suspects fled, leaving the woman for dead.

The victim was later spotted by a passer-by who rushed her to the local hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

The woman was identified as Jessie Taenzana. Her body was taken to a local mortuary for a post-mortem.

The child is undergoing trauma counselling at the Beit Bridge Hospital. The suspects are still at large and police have since launched a manhunt.

“We are also appealing to anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects to contact us. We also would like to urge people to desist from using bushy paths, especially at night, to avoid such incidents,” said Dzirutwe.