Dead in Bots Air Zimbabwe boss was strangled

POST mortem results for the Air Zimbabwe public relations executive, Shingai Dhliwayo, who was found dead in a bush in Botswana, have revealed that she was strangled to death.

The post mortem was conducted at a Francistown hospital in the presence of a team of senior police officers from Zimbabwe who were dispatched to assist in probing the death of Dhliwayo.

The team was made up mostly of officers from Bulawayo and Matabeleland South provinces. Some of them left the country on Tuesday night. Chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba yesterday confirmed the latest developments and said investigations were still in progress.

"Post mortem has been conducted today (yesterday) and the results are; 'Homicide as a result of a combination of strangulation and gagging'. Our officers who are being led by Superintendent Musasira were present when the post mortem was conducted and later on they got a debriefing from their counterparts about the results.

"Investigations on the case are, however, still in progress," she said. Snr Asst Comm Charamba said there was also another post mortem that was conducted for another Zimbabwean man who was shot in the neighbouring country for a case of burglary.

She, however, could not divulge much information concerning the burglary case. Meanwhile, Air Zimbabwe passenger and cargo general manager Chris Kwenda said Dhliwayo's body had since been handed over to her relatives by Botswana authorities.

"They're now working on the paper work to repatriate the body back to the country and hopefully by tomorrow (today) the body will have arrived," he said.

Family spokesperson Webster Taruvinga said the body was expected in Bulawayo last night and would be flown to Harare this morning. "The body will arrive at the Harare International Airport where friends and family will receive it and then it'll be taken to Nyaradzo Funeral Parlour."

He said a church service would be held at the Salvation Army church tomorrow (Friday) before the body is taken to the family home in Norton where it will lie in state.

"Saturday is the day of burial at 1PM at Norton Cemetery," Taruvinga 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 to 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 that is luring Zimbabwean businesspeople after promising them "lucrative deals" and then rob them after crossing into Botswana.

Air Zimbabwe has also put in place a team that will assist till the case is finalised.