Man dies as incest claims rock family

Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
A 50-YEAR-OLD man from Parowa Village under Chief Marange was found dead last week in a suspected suicide, hours after a violent confrontation with his son over allegations that he was sexually involved with his 20-year-old daughter.
Benny Chimhuya, popularly known as Beniza, was found hanging from a tree near Musatya River.
He had a pending case before Chief Marange’s community court relating to allegations of an incestuous relationship with his daughter.
The allegations have left family and villagers grappling with more questions than answers.
When The Manica Post visited the bereaved family on Tuesday, the deceased’s sister, Mrs Dorcas Chimhuya-Mangwandi, said allegations surrounding her brother’s incestuous relationship with his daughters were not new, and was pending before Chief Marange’s court.
She said Chimhuya had 10 children, five boys and five girls, and had for years been accused of having inappropriate sexual relationships with some of his daughters.
“He had 10 children, five of whom were girls. It is alleged that he was sleeping with some of his daughters. He has been staying with one of them at Bezeley Bridge, as husband and wife, while the rest of his family stayed here, except for the wife, who had moved to Mutare after the pair moved out,” she said.
Mrs Chimhuya-Mangwandi said tensions between Chimhuya and his son, Wish, reached a peak the night before his death.
“My brother hanged himself after a fight with his son, Wish. It was a fierce fight, with Wish assaulting him and demanding to know why he was abusing and sleeping with his sisters,” she said.
Wish was arrested for allegedly assaulting his father, who was taken to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital for treatment.
“Wish was arrested and my brother was rushed to hospital. His discharge from hospital the following day coincided with the release of Wish from police custody. That evening, my brother committed suicide,” she said.
She further alleged that her late brother had accumulated prized assets despite not being formally employed, raising strong suspicions that the alleged improper relationships were linked to wealth-enhancing rituals.
Mrs Chimhuya-Mangwandi alleged that one of the daughters fell pregnant during the period she was staying with her late father, but the baby, born out of the incestuous partnership, died shortly after birth.
She said after the baby’s death, the matter was reported to Chief Marange’s court, where Chimhuya was summoned to answer allegations of sleeping with his daughter.
The deceased denied the allegations.
“He denied the allegations, claiming that people were jealous of his close relationship with his daughter. He claimed that he was teaching her to drive, and because there was no witness who had seen them in bed, the matter lost weight. After that, he started accusing me of bringing the matter to the chief’s attention. However, I was in the dark about the issue,” she said.
She said the allegations did not end there.
The deceased’s other daughter, now married, complained to family members that she was being abused by her father, but they struggled to intervene because of longstanding disputes.
“His older daughter, who is now married, complained that she was being abused by her father, but we could not do anything because he had secured a protection order against us – his siblings. There was really bad blood between us, and even the girls who were allegedly being abused, do not talk to me,” she said.
When The Manica Post crew visited the Chimhuya family home in the company of Mrs Chimhuya-Mangwandi, the daughters refused to discuss the allegations.
A villager who requested anonymity said violent confrontations between the late Chimhuya and Wish were common in the area.
“Wish and his father were always fighting. They would come here at Gomorefu Business Centre fighting over the issue of incestuous relationships, but none made a report about the deceased bedding his daughters due to insufficient evidence,” said the villager.
Contacted for comment, Chief Marange said he was yet to receive official information on Chimhuya’s death.
He confirmed that the matter, which he described as makunakuna, was still pending before his court.
“The matter is still pending before my court. It is a pity that he killed himself. We were still doing our investigations, but had we found them guilty, we would have fined him two beasts and two beasts for his daughter, before referring the matter to the police because incest is criminal. However, killing himself is also something that we do not take lightly in this area, and his family will be fined for that. This will ensure that the area is cleansed,” said Chief Marange.
Police had not yet released a statement on the death by the time of going to print.