Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
FIFTEEN months of anguish, unanswered questions and desperate searches ended in unspeakable horror in Maenzanise Village under Chief Makoni when the mutilated remains of 73-year-old Ms Rhoda Mapako Muranda were discovered hidden in a blair toilet at her homestead.
Her own grandson, 32-year-old Trymore Mapako, now stands accused of the gruesome murder, a crime investigators believe was concealed behind an elaborate deception that kept relatives convinced the elderly woman had voluntarily left home.
The chilling mystery unravelled on October 13 after another grandson, Jasper Abel Muranda (24), confronted the suspect, and allegedly extracted a confession that brought an abrupt end to a year-long search for the missing grandmother.
Police allege that Mapako killed Ms Muranda in July 2025, before misleading family members into believing she had relocated to Mutare and later Odzi to stay with a lover.
The alleged ruse collapsed when persistent questions from relatives, coupled with mounting suspicions, ultimately led to the discovery of human remains in the family toilet pit.
As stunned villagers struggle to come to terms with the gruesome revelations, police have arrested Mapako and are continuing investigations into a crime that remained hidden for more than a year.
Mapako has since appeared before the Rusape Magistrates’ Court facing a murder charge and was remanded in custody until October 30.
Magistrate, Ms Princess Tanyanyiwa advised him to apply for bail at the High Court, while Mr Edmore Mahlanganise prosecuted.
When The Manica Post visited the Muranda homestead on Monday, Jasper recounted how Trymore admitted killing their grandmother, accusing her of interfering in his failed marriages.
“He said whenever he got married, she would behave like his second wife, causing his wives to quit. He claimed that his wives suffered miscarriages, and blamed it on the deceased,” said Jasper.
Trymore was jilted by three wives after suffering miscarriages, while his last one allegedly ditched him a week before the gruesome murder of his granny.
Jasper said Trymore confessed committing the murder on July 22, 2025.
“He allegedly killed her that morning, chopped her body parts, packed them in plastic bags before throwing them in the pit latrine,” said Jasper, adding that he spent months searching for the deceased, prompting his return from Masvingo, where he was working to establish the truth about her disappearance.
He last visited Mbuya Muranda on July 21, 2025, when she indicated her intention to attend a funeral the following day.
“When I returned the next day, she was not at home. I tried to call her, but her phone was switched off. Trymore lied to me that she had attended a funeral that morning, yet he knew very well that he had killed her,” he said, adding that as days passed without their granny returning home, they became increasingly concerned, prompting his father to make a missing person report to the police.
Trymore allegedly used a decoy, lying to relatives that their granny had eloped with a partner, with whom she was living happily in Mutare and Odzi.
However, the explanation became increasingly difficult for the family to accept when the septuagenarian failed to attend the funeral of her son the following month.
Jasper said he subsequently began experiencing recurring dreams in which his missing grandmother appeared showing him where her remains were dumped.
“In the dreams, we would be together at the homestead, with granny instructing me to dig, and whenever I complied, I would find her underneath. She would whisper to me that Trymore had buried her there,” he said, adding that he would share the awkward dreams with his father, whose reaction was dismissive.
He said the dreams persisted, prompting him to resign from his job in Masvingo and return home to investigate his granny’s disappearance.
Two weeks prior to the discovery, Jasper confronted Mapako, demanding to know what had happened to her.
“He insisted that she was in Mutare, but I challenged his account. I told him our granny was appearing to me in my dreams, indicating where he had buried her remains. Trymore started sweating heavily and breathing hard. He eventually confessed that her remains were in the toilet, but denied responsibility for her disappearance,” he said.
Jasper said he initially could not believe his cousin’s account, but the recurring dreams prompted him to besiege the homestead on October 13, 2026, searching for her remains.
He borrowed a hoe from a neighbour, and together with his young brother, began digging different portions around the yard.
“As I dug towards the toilet, Trymore suddenly became very angry, and I confronted him again, demanding to know the truth. That is when he again admitted to having killed her and dumped her remains in the toilet,” said Jasper, adding that they then examined the toilet pit, initially mistaking the deceased’s remains for animal bones.
“I first saw bones that looked like ribs, but I thought they belonged to an animal. Then I saw teeth and a human skull with a deep cut, and it dawned on me that these were granny’s remains,” he said, adding that he immediately informed his father, who arrived the following day with the police.
The police directed them to retrieve all the remains.
The deceased’s son, Mr Dunmore Muranda, said they had exhausted all avenues in search of his late mother.
He last spoke to her on July 19, 2025, before being informed of her disappearance three days later.
His suspicions heightened when he dialled her phone number six months after her disappearance, with Trymore answering it.
“He lied to me that he had found it in her purse. It was suspicious, but we did not act immediately. We simply took the phone from him,” he said.
Trymore had stayed with the deceased for 14 years, and despite their close relationship, he had a history of violence, which worsened after he began abusing drugs and other substances.
“Years ago, he attacked her and another grandchild (six), with an axe. He was convicted of attempted murder and served four years in prison. When he was released, she welcomed him. She loved him as her grandson. I would tell her to let him go due to his violent tendencies, but she would not listen,” he said, adding that Trymore cleaned the house after killing her and applied red floor polish to conceal bloodstains.
He said a pelvic bone was still missing, leaving them uncertain about when the burial will take place.
“The traditional leadership instructed that we cannot bury her while some bones are still missing. We are also waiting for pathological and DNA tests. The family and community are grieving,” he said.
Headman Gandanzara said the incident shocked them, adding that it was the worst act encountered in his area.
A villager, Mr Isaac Maenzanise described Mapako as a violent person, accusing him of torching his granny’s huts.
“Last week, he attempted to rape a married neighbour. He gave the woman’s husband lots of alcohol before making advances towards her,” he said.
Forensic and DNA tests are scheduled for October 30.
