Land wrangle victim still in mortuary 4 years on

Four years after the alleged assault and killing of Headman Taurayi Lovemore Takawira, his body remains in the mortuary at Masvingo Provincial Hospital, as the murder case involving Chief Fortune Charumbira's bodyguards remains unresolved.

The Takawira family, who paid US$1,050 for DNA tests to confirm the identity of the decomposed body found in November 2021, accuse police of colluding with the Charumbira faction to sweep the case under the carpet.

Police initially sought to close the case after claiming the corpse was not Takawira's, but the family disputed this, pointing to the distinctive clothes worn by Takawira on the day of the attack. They blocked plans for a pauper's burial and secured a High Court order for DNA testing.

The DNA tests were conducted locally by Aleck Maunganidze, Chief Technician at the Department of Applied Biology and Biochemistry at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) on October 17, 2023. However, family members say police are deliberately delaying the release of the results, effectively stalling the burial.

"We paid for the DNA tests, but police told Maunganidze not to release the results. That's why we haven't buried our brother," a family member revealed.

The deceased's wife voiced deep sorrow over the slow progress, lamenting the pain of having her husband's body still unreleased after four years.

Chief Charumbira has denied any involvement in the killing, initially feigning ignorance of the case and later claiming the incident was unrelated and similar to another where suspects were acquitted near Bondolfi.

The violent episode is linked to a long-standing boundary dispute between Chief Charumbira and Chief Bere, whose chieftainship was re-established after 125 years. The State alleges that 11 bodyguards, including Zanu-PF activist Winterton Chirove-recently released from prison after serving 18 years for murder-attacked Takawira and two other village heads while they were clearing land under Chief Bere's jurisdiction.

Takawira, who was reportedly unwell, was left behind during the attack and later found dead. The accused maintain that Takawira had fled to South Africa, but the family rejects this, asserting the body is his.

The suspects facing charges are Winterton Chirove, Shelton Samuel (54), Nogo Zicheche (65), Moleon Mbengo (50), Eriya Kwangwari (76), Elfas Mudhenge (76), Brighton Madzivire (33), Vunganai Makono (68), Ratiel Muvingi (86), Aquilla Muzenda (61), and Paul Clever Munankopa (75).

Winterton Chirove is a controversial figure, previously convicted of murdering an MDC polling agent, Petros Jeka, in 2002 while serving as Zanu-PF youth chairperson.

Efforts to obtain comment from Masvingo police officials and Aleck Maunganidze were unsuccessful, and Police Spokesperson Paul Nyathi did not respond to calls.

The unresolved case and delayed release of the body have heightened suspicions of a deliberate cover-up and frustrated the Takawira family's quest for justice and closure.