Online Reporter
Macdonald Chimbizi in MANCHESTER, England
A ZIMBABWEAN man, whose decomposing body was found two months after his disappearance here in the UK, was killed in an attack in which the assailant used a bladed weapon, a coroner has ruled.
This has promoted British police to reopen their investigations into his death, which officials claim was triggered by an altercation over a missing bottle of cider.
Tanyaradzwa Julius Matera was found dead on December 7, 2023, in thick Japanese knotweed on the edges of Broughton Cricket and Rugby Club playing fields.
His body was in an advanced state of decomposition. He had been missing for 56 days.
His death sent shockwaves throughout the Zimbabwean community in Manchester and across the United Kingdom.
Julius was reported missing on October 24, 2023, by a support worker.
Investigators believe he had already been dead for 10 days by then.
The Coroner’s Court heard that on the night of October 13-14, 2023, Julius was likely attacked inside the house, either in the communal kitchen or on a brick patio at the rear, following an altercation linked to a missing bottle of cider.
Investigators believe he then either fell or climbed over a fence to escape, crawling into the knotweed where he died alone.
Because his body remained hidden for so long, forensic opportunities were severely limited.
A post-mortem examination identified an incised wound to the left side of his neck consistent with a bladed weapon but pathologists could not determine a definitive cause of death because of his body’s state of decomposition.
On August 28, at Bolton Coroner’s Office, Greater Manchester West Coroner Tim Brennand concluded that Julius most likely died following an unwarranted and unlawful attack involving a bladed weapon.
He directed Greater Manchester Police to reopen the investigation.
The inquest highlighted the difficulties facing detectives seeking to establish exactly what happened.
Neil Keeling, chief reporter at the Manchester Evening News, who covered the hearing extensively, observed that a wall of silence surrounding the events of that night had left Julius’s family without answers and frustrated efforts to secure justice.
Three Zimbabwean men were arrested twice on suspicion of murder before being released without charge.
Nkonjera, who was named only by his surname during proceedings, Josphat Mkonowatsauka and Louis Chirimumvura were later informed they would face no further action.
Police said the evidential threshold for prosecution had not been met, citing insufficient direct evidence linking any individual to Julius’s death and the inability of pathologists to establish a definitive medical cause because of the body’s condition.
The investigation, however, remains open.
A £50,000 reward offered by police for information has so far failed to produce a breakthrough.
Known to family and friends simply as Julius, he arrived in the UK from Zimbabwe in 2001 with his cousin, June Matera.
They initially settled in Leicestershire before Julius moved to Manchester in 2012. His accommodation in Eccles was secured through the Home Office.
He left Zimbabwe aspiring to become an engineer. Instead, he spent more than two decades caught in immigration limbo.
Partially sighted and battling alcohol dependency, he was unable to work while awaiting decisions on his immigration status and survived on food vouchers.
During the original investigation, Detective Inspector Rachel Smith described Julius as vulnerable and often targeted by others.
“He was begging and vulnerable. Information we had from witnesses was that others would bully him and take his vouchers off him. He was a quiet, unassuming man,” she said.
At the inquest, Brennand described Julius as “quite literally a gentle man”.
“Evidence that transcends everything is that each of the witnesses has spoken about what a helpful and valued member of the community he was.
“He was very easy company.
“He was not violent, he was not someone looking for trouble.”
However, it was observed that “he was not choosing his friends wisely”.
