Blessing Chizhande
Raymond Jaravaza, [email protected]
FOR residents of Bulawayo’s Pelandaba West suburb, the path to home has become a journey fraught with fear.
At night, some residents no longer walk alone. Others rely on relatives to meet them at bus stops after work, while neighbourhood leaders are trying to organise patrols to keep criminals at bay.
Their fears have been fuelled by a disturbing pattern of bodies of men being discovered in ditches, fields and secluded spots around the suburb, often covered in blood and bearing signs of violent attacks.
Since June last year, at least four men have been found dead in different parts of Pelandaba West and its surrounding areas in cases that residents believe have turned their neighbourhood into a murder hotspot.
Pelandaba West section residents’ association chairman, Zenzo Mpala, said the latest killing has brought the grim reality into sharp focus.
When he heard that the body of 61-year-old Phineas Mpofu had been found last week in a ditch near Hyde Park Cemetery, Mpala says he immediately began counting the number of people killed in the area over the past year.
“It is frightening. Four people have been murdered in our suburb since June last year and residents are scared. A single murder is enough to give residents sleepless nights, yet we are now counting four bodies that have been found since last year,” said Mpala.
“What makes the situation even scarier is that all the bodies were found in pools of blood, so as residents we have reason to believe that armed criminals are walking around at night looking for victims to rob.”
Mpofu’s death has particularly unsettled residents because of the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and the discovery of his body.
He had left his home to visit his sister in neighbouring Old Magwegwe but failed to return.
According to police, his wife tried calling him when he did not come home, but there was no response.
The following morning, while on her way to work, she noticed a group of people gathered near Hyde Park Cemetery.
When she moved closer, she made the devastating discovery that the body lying in a ditch was that of her husband.
Mpofu’s body was reportedly covered in blood and had multiple injuries.
The cemetery is only a few metres from the nearest houses in the relatively new suburb, which began taking shape in 2015.
For residents, the proximity of the cemetery to their homes has now become a source of anxiety rather than a mere geographical feature.
Earlier this year, three men appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Mr Jeconia Ncube facing murder charges after allegedly fatally stabbing a Pelandaba West resident and stealing his belongings.
Zibusiso Sibanda (22), Noah Mafu (37) and Zibusiso Zivanai Sibanda (49) are on remand facing allegations that they waylaid the victim along Hyde Park Road near the Pelandaba West turn-off before stabbing him to death.
The court heard that the victim died at the scene from severe stab wounds and his body was later discovered lying in a pool of blood.
The case triggered an immediate investigation by detectives from the Bulawayo CID Homicide section.
One of the suspects was subsequently arrested at Marisha Bar while allegedly in possession of a blood-stained okapi knife and reportedly implicated his alleged accomplices, leading to their arrest.
Mpala said the killings have changed how residents move around their own neighbourhood.
“So, in less than three months, two people have been murdered and their bodies discovered covered in blood. We no longer feel safe walking in our suburb after sunset,” he said.
“Residents are doing their best to form neighbourhood watch committees, but we need the police to patrol with us in the event we come across armed criminals.”
The latest killing is not the first time residents have been confronted with a gruesome discovery near Hyde Park Cemetery.
In June last year, the body of 37-year-old Isa Yadini from Pumula East was found in a maize field near the cemetery.
Yadini had three stab wounds and was lying in a pool of blood. His mobile phone, cash and other valuables were reportedly still on his body, leading police to suspect that the killing may have been linked to a ritual murder rather than robbery.
No arrests have been made in that case. As investigations continue into the various killings, residents say they are being forced to change their routines to avoid becoming the next victims.
For Clara Muwungani, simply getting home from work has become a daily security challenge.
“Some of us knock off from work after 6PM and cannot get home before dark. My teenage sons come to pick me up at the bus stop every day as I cannot risk walking home after dark. We are living in fear,” she said.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele appealed to anyone with information that could assist detectives investigating the unresolved murder cases to report to their nearest police station.
She warned criminals that police would continue pursuing those responsible for the killings.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police will leave no stone unturned until the suspects in the murder cases are brought to book,” she said.
For a suburb that is a decade old, Pelandaba West residents say they never imagined that the surrounding roads, fields and pathways would become associated with scenes of death.
Now, as darkness falls, some residents hurry home, others wait for escorts and community leaders organise patrols — all hoping that the next body discovered near the cemetery will not be that of someone they know.
Online Reporter