Zimbabwe cops in Botswana Air Zimbabwe boss death probe

A team of senior police officers has been dispatched to Botswana to assist in probing the death of Air Zimbabwe public relations executive, Shingai Dhliwayo, who was found dead in a bush in the neighbouring country.

The team, mostly from Bulawayo and Matabeleland South provinces, will also be present when post mortem is conducted today.

Some of them left the country last night to assist in investigating the case.

In an interview yesterday, chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba, said there were no developments on the case.

She said police were also waiting for post mortem results.

"As of now there are no developments on the case and investigations are still in progress. Once post mortem is done tomorrow (today) that's when we'll be able to furnish you with concrete details concerning the case.

"A team from ZRP will also attend the post mortem," she said.

On Monday, police and their Batswana counterparts with the help of the International Police Organisation (Interpol), intensified investigations to ascertain the cause of Dhliwayo's death.

Dhliwayo's body was found tied onto a tree with both hands and legs also tied with a rope in a sitting position.

Her mouth was gagged with a cloth and she was bleeding from the nose.

The body was found about 5km from Plumtree Border Post in a bushy area and it is suspected that she had been lured by unknown assailants to travel to Botswana in a bid to rob her.

It is suspected that there is a syndicate of criminals that is luring Zimbabwean businesspeople after promising them "lucrative deals" and then rob them after crossing into Botswana.

Police in Botswana reportedly found her body and sent it to an unnamed hospital mortuary where her parents identified it on Saturday.

On Monday, the deceased's brother, Webster Taruvinga, said they were also concerned and wanted to know the cause of her death.

Dhliwayo's husband, Totizirepi arrived in Zimbabwe on Monday from Botswana to work on other documents that are needed.

He and his friend Lesley Makarau, left Harare for Bulawayo last night, enroute to Botswana.

Air Zimbabwe passenger and cargo general manager, Chris Kwenda, recently said they had also put in place a team that would assist till the case was finalised.

He said details of the burial would be announced once post mortem had been conducted.

Dhliwayo travelled to Botswana on personal business last Saturday soon after the Trade Fair intending to come back the following day and she never came back.

Her husband and parents decided to travel to Botswana to look for her that is when police told them of a body at the mortuary.

Unconfirmed reports say Dhliwayo, who ran Shekinah Wedding Décor Unlimited – a catering business, had been invited for a business meeting in Botswana.