Chronicle Editor
Munyaradzi Musiiwa, Midlands Bureau
THE family of a gold panner from Zhombe who was allegedly murdered by fellow gold panners has dumped his body at the homestead of two of his alleged attackers, who are brothers.
The family has also vowed not to bury Timothy Manyame (32) after he was allegedly murdered by Thabani Mpofu and two brothers, Xolisani Dube and Josiah Dube as well as eight other unidentified gold panners on November 11 in Shurugwi.
The suspects allegedly pounced on Manyame while he was drinking beer with his acquaintances.
They allegedly struck him with machetes and pangas all over the body until he died.
The suspects allegedly dumped Manyame’s body in a 40 metre abandoned mine shaft at West Farm in Shurugwi.
His body was later discovered four days later in an advanced stage of decomposition.
Manyame’s brother Takesure said they had decided to leave the body at the Dube homestead on Saturday.
He said they Dubes had since taken the body to Gweru Provincial Hospital Mortuary.
Takesure said they chose to dump the body at the Dube homestead after they discovered that they live in the same area with them.
He said they will not negotiate with the Dubes for the next two years as a way of punishing them.
“We were not happy with how my brother Timothy died. What is most disheartening is that the culprits are unrepentant and are even misleading the police that Timothy was a bully and that they were seeking revenge.
“What we did is when we took Timothy’s body from mortuary we took it to Hwaya Village head, Mr Magebula Dube, who is the father of some of the suspected culprits. We then left the body in their kitchen hut,” he said.
Takesure said when the village head’s wife returned home, she found Timothy’s body in their kitchen hut and informed her eldest son Correct.
“When Correct came, he took the body to Gweru Provincial Hospital Mortuary. We as the family have decided that we let them have the body and we are not going to entertain the Dube family for the next two years. They can keep the body and decide what to do with it,” he said.
Efforts to get a comment from Correct were futile.
Two of the murder suspects, Josiah and Mpofu were last week arrested and appeared before Shurugwi magistrate, Mr Musaiwona Shotgame facing murder charges.
They were not asked to plead and remanded in custody to November 29.
Online Reporter