Businessman orders son (16) to kill girl (9), 'RITUAL'

A Mashonaland businessman, Andrew Totama (55) , and his son (16) have since been arrested in connection with the murder of  nine-year-old girl (Progress Nyakabau) neighbour for ritual purposes.

Police are also looking for a third suspect, a traditional healer, in connection with the murder. The traditional healer is being accused of allegedly instructing Totama to bring him human blood and brains to enhance his business fortunes.

The businessman is alleged to have promised his son a grinding mill if he carried out the task he gave him but threatened to kill him in the event he failed.

Totama and his son, were this week, brought before a Mutoko magistrate court to answer to a murder charge.

The two were not asked to plead to the charge when they appeared before the resident magistrate Mr Reuben Mukavhi on Tuesday.

They were remanded in custody to October 25. Mr Mukavhi advised the duo to apply for bail at the High Court because of the gravity of the offence.

According to the indictment, the businessman's son allegedly raped the girl first before killing her by crushing her head with stones.

He then extracted blood and brains, which he put into the minor's drink bottle and took the contents home to his father, it is alleged.

Totama and his son later took the mixture to the traditional healer to perform the rituals.
The duo was arrested on October 3 after being on the run since September 14 and police are looking for the traditional healer.

In his warned and cautioned statement to the police, the boy said his father threatened to shoot him if he failed to kill the girl.

A gun was recovered from Totama and will be produced in court as exhibit. Prosecutor Mr Justin Milanzi said the offence was committed on September 14 this year.

It is alleged Totama sent his teenage son to Matedza Business Centre to buy diesel. He allegedly ordered him to waylay and kill Progress along the way. On his way to the centre, the boy saw Progress who was on her way home coming from school.

It is alleged the teenager emerged from the bush and suddenly snatched the girl's school bag and started running along the banks of a nearby river while Progress followed him crying for her bag. He then stopped before tripping the girl to the ground and raped her once, said the prosecutor.

After the act, Progress who was crying told her attacker that she was going to report him to the police, the prosecutor said. In a bid to stop her from crying, the boy, the State said, took some sand and stuffed it into her mouth.

He then picked some stones, which he then used to crush her head.
The teenager allegedly carried Progress' corpse and dumped it in a nearby bush and went to the shopping centre. The State further said that on his way back, the boy passed through the bushy area and extracted blood and brains from the corpse, which he took home to his father. The two went to the traditional healer and handed over the mixture.

Investigations led to the teenager's arrest who implicated his father.
The boy led police to where he had hidden the girl's bag, undergarments, his blood stained clothes and the stones he used to kill hit her.