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Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
THE Chigodora traditional leadership is seized with investigations on the disappearance of a child’s corpse that vanished from a grave three years ago.
Speaking during a court session on Sunday, Headman Chigodora vowed to bring the perpetrators to book.
He also appealed for the villagers’ cooperation and patience as investigations may take some time.
Headman Chigodora ordered the bereaved Mureyani family to consult spiritual healers to find out the whereabouts of the six-year-old’s corpse.
The court heard that a week after burying their child three years ago, the Mureyani family woke up to an open grave, missing coffin and corpse.
After extensive searches, an empty coffin and shroud was found at a mental patient’s home in the same village.
The Mureyani family then secretly reburied the child’s empty coffin and never bothered to inform the area’s leadership.
The matter only came to light last month after Headman Chigodora received a tip-off.
Headman Chigodora then summoned the family and accused them of performing rituals at the cemetery without notifying the traditional leadership.
He, however, vowed to get to the bottom of the isssue.
“We will ensure that the whereabouts of the child’s corpse are established. If the body was used for rituals, then we will know who did what and the people will be punished for it.
“If the remains are not found, his spirit will continue roaming this area and bringing bad luck, not just for you as a family, but for the whole community. I will not let that happen,” said Headman Chigodora.
During the court session, the family said the issue is already causing untold suffering within their family.
Derrick Mureyani narrated: “My aunt was walking past the child’s grave when she discovered that it had been tampered with. The grave had been dug up and the coffin removed. This happened a few days after the child’s burial. We told our elders about it and we conducted a search but found nothing.
“Days later, someone saw a child’s coffin inside the house of a villager who is mentally challenged. The coffin looked like the one that we had buried the child in.
“Police were alerted and the villager was arrested. He was taken to the psychiatric unit for examinations. He was released recently.
“We have been having sleepless nights. We need assistance to unravel this mystery, otherwise we will continue wallowing in poverty and dying mysteriously. The late child’s father, Joe Mureyani died shortly afterwards the corpse’s disappearance and other family members have also been dying mysteriously,” said Derrick.
He said while some family members are ready to consult spiritual healers, their uncle, Zacharia Mureyani and other elders are not forthcoming as they are citing religious beliefs.
He also told the court that most family members suspect that Zachariah is behind the corpse’s disappearance.
However, Zacharia vehemently denied being responsible for the disappearance of the child’s corpse.
“The truth is that there are a lot of witches and wizards in our family, and people should not only accuse me,” he said.
Headman Chigodora said his court is failing to summon the late child’s mother to court since she relocated to South Africa following the death of her husband.
“We are failing to get hold of the child’s mother for her to attend court and consult spiritual healers with other family members,” said Headman Chigodora.
The matter was adjourned to Sunday to allow the family to furnish the court with further details following their consultation with spiritual healers.
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