Prominent businessman goes berserk, torches relatives' houses

Prominent Masvingo business person who hails from Chivi's Sese area allegedly went berserk on Friday night (August 12) and torched his relatives' houses over allegations that they are bewitching his family.

Thomas Chapeta who owns a water drilling company in Masvingo (Chapeta drilling), believed to have taken over ownership of popular Masvingo spot Stopover as well as a security company in neighbouring South Africa is reported to have torched the houses.

Chapeta is Zion Christian Church (ZCC) Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi's son-in-law after marrying the latter's daughter as his second wife.

In an audio leaked to this publication, a relative is heard pondering her future saying it is ruined and she has nowhere to stay after the homestead was torched and food storage granary reduced to ashes.

"Thomas airova vanhu achiti makamutsa Stephen kuti andipfukire vana vangu vaapenge vachiti ndiye akamuuraya ndozvaaifamba achitaura. Nhai kune munhu angamutsiwa afa here, kune mushonga ungabata pasina ronda? Munhu akamutsiwa afa nezvake hapana zvaanoita asi kana ane zvaakabata anopfukirwa ka. Aitonzi aibvunza vanhu kuti vaitaura kuti chii parufu rwaStephen. (Thomas was enraged, he started beating up people accusing them of tampering for the purpose of brining back the spirit of Stephen as an avenging spirit that would sicken his kids (mental sickness). He went on to ask people (relatives) why and what they said during the funeral wake of the late Stephen)," said the lady believed to be a relative of the accused.

The other relative (a man) is heard informing a relative in South Africa of his state of strandedness after his home was destroyed and left with nothing to look up to.

"Shamwari pakaipa kumusha hakugariki uko ndototsvaka kwekutamira nekuti zvaitwa mumusha zvakaoma nhasi hakuna kumira zvakanaka. Ini ndotova nherera kana sadza pamba handina kudya ndotori nenzara izvozvi. Mikova yese yekwana mukoma babaEsy yadonhedzwa, dura remabagwe rapiswa rose neshade ine ngoro mbiri dzatsviramo, mawindow pane awira pasi, maDoor eimba yaIsh, ekwamukoma baba Happy apaziwa. Mukoma baba Nyemu kuita sepanga pachirohwa dhongi zvokwadi musana wakazvimba, vana baba Govhi magadziko kuoma kuita dindindi. (All is not well at my place and am pondering looking for a new place of residence because what has been done is bad. Right now I am an orphan even last night's supper I didn't take it due to the disturbances. Houses were destroyed, several people severely beaten up and it's so terrible)," said the victim.

Efforts to get a comment from the police were fruitless as Masvingo Provincial Police Spokesperson Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa said he was away though he had not heard of any such a report.