She won ‘smiler of the year’ as most cheerful pupil at her school

9:00am Thursday 4th December 2008

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A MEMORIAL service is being held at St Andrew’s Church, Orford, to commemorate the life of a young mum described by her parents as their angel.

The life of Tatenda Mhute – who was a nurse in Warrington, which also became her home – was tragically cut short at the age of 31 after she was violently beaten, allegedly by her husband, Michael, in their second home close to their family in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Michael was subsequently arrested by Zimbabwean police after admitting assaulting his wife and has been charged with her murder.

The couple had married in a lavish ceremony at Victoria Falls in 2003 after five years of dating and have a three-year-old son, Kudzai.

Tatenda, who was known as Tate, had worked with Michael at Hollins Park hospital and fellow nurses had said she was rarely without a smile on her face.

Born on August 9, 1977, in Harare, to parents Grassiano and Bertha Kapfunde, Tatenda had three sisters, Olivia, Taka and Stephanie, as well as two brothers, Oliver and Andrew.

Speaking on behalf of her family, Andrew, who co-owns Focus on Care Recruitment, on Bewsey Street, said: “We moved to the picturesque town of Kariba, which has beautiful views of Lake Kariba and lots of wildlife, when Tatenda was three.

“We still smile when we remember when Tatenda and Taka encountered their first baboon while playing in the garden – they ran into the house and announced they had been chased by a gorilla. Tatenda won the much coveted ‘Smiler of the Year’ trophy for several years running at her primary school – awarded to the most cheerful pupil in the school.

“She was always happy and bubbly.”

Tatenda came to England in 1998 to study at the University of Manchester and, after completing her nurse training, started her first nursing post at Hollins Park.

After marrying Michael they moved into a house on Winwick Road before settling in Gorse Covert.

Andrew added: “Tatenda always had an appetite for travelling and immersing herself in new cultural experiences.

“She was very proud of her battered and well-travelled passport and enjoyed her holidays in all forms from the five star Shangri-La luxury to the camel-back holiday in Egypt.

“She was a devoted mum and, after Kudzai was born, invested in a hardy baby carrier and resumed their regular excursions to Cyprus, USA, Thailand, India and Zimbabwe – Kudzai has probably seen more of the world than most people do in their life!”

He added: “Tatenda had developed an interest in working with deaf patients and had planned to gain qualifications in British Sign Language and work as an interpreter.

“She enjoyed good food and music. Her iPod was always a heartbeat away, jam-packed with fine music and she never needed an excuse to gather friends and family for a feast.

“Tatenda is going to be enormously missed by her family, her son, her parents and siblings.”

The memorial service in Tatenda’s honour will be held at St Andrew’s Church on Poplars Avenue in Orford on Sunday, December 14, at 3pm. Everyone is welcome.

* Parents Grassiano and Bertha said: “Tatenda was our angel. She was a generous and loving person who worked hard. She believed in a strong sense of family and actively encouraged everyone to look after one another. We miss you terribly.”

* Andrew’s daughters, Letitia, aged 16, and nine-year-old Taeshan, said: “Auntie Tatenda was fun. She used to spoil us movie nights and loads of popcorn. One Christmas she converted her conservatory into a Winter Wonderland play room.”

* Andrew said: “My sister, my good friend, a principled and beautiful person. You have left us a legacy of love, kindness and the pursuit of happiness. We pray for guidance and the strength to carry on.”

* Olivia and Taka added: “A wonderful sister. Strong-willed and determined. A ray of sunshine in our life who tirelessly worked to make everyone’s life better. Rest in peace.”

To see a gallery of photographs of Tatenda click here