Comeuppance for Shurugwi murderer who baited victims with love

AFTER spending years slithering through the cracks of justice, Emmanuel Mahembe, a man who clearly thought he was smarter than everyone else, finally got his well-deserved comeuppance.

For nearly three years, the 37-year-old Shurugwi-based cold-blooded killer managed to evade justice. But his luck finally ran out in spectacular fashion last week.

In a series of acts so heinous that it is hard to believe they belong to the real world and not a grim television horror film, Mahembe not only killed two unsuspecting women who were in love with him, but also thought he could cover up the crime with some incredibly poor decision-making.

His MO (modus operandi) involved using charm to lure women into his deadly web.

However, his relationships always seemed to end in murder and car thefts.

In the first incident, which happened between August 2021 and September 2022, Mahembe invited his girlfriend to what must have been the least romantic location in Shurugwi — a rendezvous at a dip-tank.

The tryst ended horribly, as Mahembe killed the 37-year-old girlfriend, whose name was not given in court. He subsequently buried the body in the Gwamamvura riverbed and gleefully drove off in her car.

But Mahembe’s horror show was just beginning. He got himself into another relationship, but this time, a mere argument over money escalated to murder. After committing the dastardly act, he tossed the victim’s body into a disused mine shaft and drove off in her car.

It gets worse. After dumping the body, he had the audacity to impersonate his deceased girlfriend in order to con her son.

He somehow convinced his target, who was unaware of his mother’s fate, that she was still alive but in desperate need of cash.

The poor son, thinking he was helping his mother in her time of need, dutifully sent the funds, but the real recipient was her heartless killer.

Not one to let an opportunity pass, Mahembe took the money and continued blissfully driving around in his victim’s Honda Fit like a boss.

Soon, the victim’s family grew suspicious, leading to Mahembe’s inevitable downfall.

Needless to say, his days of freewheeling through Shurugwi in stolen cars are over.

The High Court threw the book at him and gave him two life sentences for each of his murderous misadventures.