Online Reporter
Paul Pindani in CHINHOYI
A FAMILY’S relentless four-year-old fight for justice, after their 12-year-old son was run over and killed by a combine harvester, has now resulted in the induction of a leading commercial farmer for murder at the High Court.
It is the latest chapter in what has been an endless nightmare for Tichaona Moffat, and his family, since their world was turned upside down one October afternoon in 2022.
His son Suarance was killed in horrific circumstances.
The family claims the commercial farmer, Daniel Brink Bosman, of Orange Grove, Chinhoyi, deliberately chased Suarance, and other boys, with the combine harvester on a maize field.
The family claims the boys were simply playing in the maize field when Bosman decided to chase after them and, in the process, knocked down Suarance and killed him.
The family claims Suarance’s brother, who was part of the boys who were playing in that maize field, watched his brother being knocked down by the combine harvester.
It also claims he saw Suarance dangling from the front end of the combine harvester as he bled to his death.
Since that tragedy, the case has seen a number of twists and turns, including sensational allegations from the family that corruption was blocking their quest for justice for their slain son, in the past four years.
Now, in a significant development, Bosman and his farm worker, Douglas Zhanewo, of Dundreaumn Farm, Lions’ Den, are being jointly charged with murder under case number CRB CHNCD 1167-68/26.
The State alleges that on October 21, 2022, at Omerstone Farm, Bosman and Zhanewo, allegedly caused the death of Suarance, when he was struck by that combine harvester.
The matter has been set down for trial at the High Court on October 27.
The trial will start in exactly the same month, four years ago, when Suarance was killed.
Suarance suffered severe skull injuries and a broken leg. Last year, his parents told H-Metro that they needed closure and justice for their slain child.
Suarance’s mother, Tafadzwa Chineni, said justice has not been served in the case related to her son’s death.
She recounted the harrowing moment she received the tragic news.
“We were informed that our son had been run over by a tractor.
‘‘We then swiftly went to the scene and, a few minutes later, my husband arrived and we took off the blanket so that we could identify the body.
“My husband observed that the body of our child did not look like someone who had been run over by a tractor.
“My husband asked the driver, (Douglas) Zhanewo, who admitted that he, indeed, was the one who had run over our child.”
However, the family claims that was just part of the cover up.
While Zhanewo works as a tractor driver at Bosman’s farm, the family claims he was not the one who was on the wheel of the combine harvester which struck and killed their son.
Interestingly, Bosman was the one who reported the tragedy at Murereka Police Station and, in his report, he claimed that Zhanewo had accidentally run over Suarance with a tractor.
However, the family claims that was a false report meant to ensure that Bosman escaped blame, and prosecution, for the death of their son.
Zhanewo was arrested and charged with culpable homicide, following the report filed at Murereka Police Station.
“We were called to court several times,” said Tafadzwa.
“Zhanewo initially pleaded guilty but later changed his plea to not guilty.”
Tichaona Moffart, the father of the child, said:
“We feel that corruption may have influenced the case.” A post-mortem concluded that Suarance’s death was caused by a deep laceration on the head which caused a perforation of the skull.
With evidence showing that the boy was not run over by a tractor, the State couldn’t sustain Zhanewo’s charge and he was cleared of the culpable homicide charges.
The family had also been insisting, during the course of his trial, that their son was not run over by a tractor.
Zhanewo also spoke to H-Metro last year.
“What happened on that particular day, at first, I thought that I was the one who had run over the child.
“It was my first time to encounter such a situation,” said Zhanewo.
Bosman also said he did not want his name to be sucked into the case.
“The accusations against me are fabricated. They can investigate me if they want to. The police must also investigate the family of the child who died,” said Bosman.
Now, the farmer and his worker have both been inducted for murder at the High Court in a significant development in the case – four years after Suarance was killed.
For four years, Suarance’s family has been fighting for the justice of the son they lost in such horrific circumstances and saying they believe Bosman has a case to answer in the murder.
The latest developments will come as a relief for the family in its relentless pursuit not only for justice but for what they believe will bring closure after four years of pain.
“He was a disciplined child and we believe that the truth must prevail for the sake of our son’s memory and the family’s peace,” said Tafadzwa.
Now that it has finally spilled into the High Court, some of the questions, which this family has been asking in the past four years, will be answered.
