4 year mystery: Family discovers missing cop's grave through spirit revelation

A decades-old mystery surrounding the disappearance of a Bulawayo-based police officer may finally be drawing to a close, after his family was reportedly led to a shallow grave by a spirit-possessed granddaughter nearly 45 years after his disappearance.

On 1 July 1980, Mrs Pamhidzai Madzana received a terse telegram that would alter the course of her family's life forever. Her husband, Joshua Chinyama Madzana - a police officer stationed at Ross Camp in Bulawayo - had failed to report back for duty after taking a short leave to visit his family in Masvingo.

The message, delivered through the once-reliable telegram system, marked the beginning of a long and painful journey for the Madzana family. For 45 years, they searched for answers, clinging to hope and haunted by silence. Tragically, Mrs Madzana passed away on 30 May 2025, never learning the fate of her husband.

But shortly after her burial, the family's unanswered questions took an unexpected turn.

Speaking to the press, Ms Vimbai Madzana, one of Joshua's daughters, recounted a chilling development. "A few days after burying my mother, my sister's daughter, who was born in 1989 and never met her grandfather, began speaking in a strange voice," she said. "She described visions of smoke and a man in police uniform who instructed her to reveal the truth about his death."

Startled by the vivid detail - and the fact that the granddaughter knew things she couldn't possibly have learned on her own - the family consulted a spirit medium. The medium confirmed their growing belief: Joshua Madzana had been murdered en route to Bulawayo in 1980 and buried in a shallow grave.

On the guidance of the possessed girl, the family embarked on a 10-kilometre journey on foot to Makori Annex Farm, not far from their home. "She led us into a bushy area, collapsed and later wept uncontrollably," Ms Madzana said. "She then declared that we were standing at the spot where our father was killed and buried."

In a haunting moment, she claimed in a voice resembling Madzana's that his heart and private parts were removed by his killers and vowed his spirit would not rest until justice was served.

The family immediately alerted the police and began the formal process to request an exhumation. The farm's owner, Mr George Dahwa, has since granted permission. He revealed that for years, mysterious night fires had flickered near the suspected burial site - only to leave no evidence in the morning.

"Sometimes at night, you'd see flames, but by morning the place would be untouched. It was unsettling," said Dahwa. "If this helps bring peace to both the family and the soul of the deceased, then I support it."

The headman of Gadzingo Village, where the Madzana family originates, has also endorsed the exhumation. "This disappearance is part of our community's history. We believe that his soul will only rest once he is buried by his family on his ancestral land," he said.

The exhumation has yet to be carried out as the family works with government officials to ensure the process is handled legally and respectfully.

Remembering her father, Ms Vimbai Madzana grew emotional. "He was a loving father and husband. When he disappeared, my mother was left alone with nine children. She couldn't afford to send us to school, and our lives changed drastically," she said.

The family hopes that the long-awaited recovery and reburial of Joshua Madzana's remains will bring closure to a painful chapter - and peace to a man whose journey home took nearly half a century.