Online Reporter
Patrick Chitumba
A GWERU taxi driver who had been reported missing over the weekend was found dead on Tuesday evening at a playing field near Thornhill High School, with police investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
The man’s body was discovered by children near the playground, who alerted authorities. His remains were removed from the scene on Wednesday morning and taken to Gweru Provincial Hospital mortuary for a post-mortem examination.
Police had not officially identified the deceased by Wednesday morning. However, a family spokesperson at the scene confirmed that the body was that of his father, who had been reported missing days earlier.
“We received a call late Tuesday informing us that my father had been found dead at the playing field,” he said.
“He was reported missing over the weekend and a report was made to the police.”
The family spokesperson said the deceased’s vehicle had earlier been found parked at a relative’s home in Southdowns.
“There were no visible signs of forced entry or tampering on the vehicle,” he said.
He added that a bottle suspected to have contained pesticide was found beside the body, although the family questioned suggestions that the deceased may have taken his own life.
“Besides his body was a bottle people are saying contained some deadly pesticide. But we don’t believe that he took his own life,” he said.
A groundsman at Thornhill High School, Mr Mike Tete, said he first saw the man lying in the grass on Monday while on his way to work and initially believed he was intoxicated.
“I was on my way to do my assignment for the day on the squash court when I saw a man lying in the grass. I approached him to check on him but he appeared intoxicated and I left him,” said Mr Tete.
He said he later contacted a Gweru City Council employee to establish whether the man was one of their workers.
“I called a Gweru City Council employee I knew and he came to check if the person was one of their own. When he tried to move him, he made some funny sounds and we again assumed that he was drunk and left him, only to learn later that he had died,” he said.
Police investigations are continuing to establish the cause and circumstances of the man’s death. The post-mortem examination is expected to assist investigators.
