Moffat Mungazi
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A RUSAPE woman— Jane Muzvuve — has finally been reunited with her two minor children after a lengthy and arduous battle.
The children, aged 11 and seven respectively were staying with their paternal uncle, James Mufute, and his wife, Bongile Mushoriwa, under strict instructions from their father, Pedzisai Mufute, to keep them away from their mother following their divorce.
The reunion came after widespread media coverage of Muzvuve’s heart-wrenching ordeal in December, prompting the police’s intervention.
Authorities granted Muzvuve custody of her children, bringing her some relief.
However, the pain of losing her four-year-old son, Peace, who died under mysterious circumstances while in his uncle’s custody, continues to haunt her. Muzvuve recently spoke about the bittersweet experience of reuniting with her children, while still grieving over the loss of her youngest son.
“I am happy to have my children back, and I thank the media for helping me in the battle to reunite with my children. This led to the police’s intervention. However, the pain of losing Peace will continue haunting me. Every day feels like a struggle, and I terribly miss him,” she said, her voice trembling with emotions.
The story of Peace’s untimely death began with the shocking revelation that he was buried by his father’s relatives without Muzvuve’s knowledge or consent.
Peace was staying with his uncle in Derembwe Village under Chief Zimunya when he allegedly ate rice given to him by an unidentified relative, before passing away in his 11-year-old sister’s arms. Muzvuve’s world was shattered when she heard of her four-year-old son’s death through the rumour-mill.
Rushing to the homestead, she was met with the devastating news that the child had already been buried.
“My heart remains broken. They didn’t even have the decency of informing me of his death. My son was buried without my knowledge or consent. I was not there to mourn him, and say goodbye. I still do not know the truth about the actual cause of his death. The family refused to tell me anything. It is as if they think they have the right to make decisions about my children’s welfare without consulting me,” said Muzvuve, her face etched with pain.
Determined to uncover the truth, Muzvuve filed a formal report at Mutare Rural Police Station, and demanded the exhumation of Peace’s body for a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death.
The body is yet to be exhumed.
Her fight for justice intensified as she continued to question the circumstances surrounding her son’s sudden illness and death.
“I will not rest until I know what happened to my son. If it was food poisoning, then we need to know who gave him that rice and why. If there is something else they are hiding, I want to know. I am his mother, and I have the right to understand what happened. Peace deserves justice, and I will fight for that until the very end,” she said.
The fight for justice was further complicated by the estranged relationship with her ex-husband, Pedzisai Mufute, who denied her access to their children. After the funeral, Muzvuve sought to have custody of her surviving children, but the Mufute family refused, insisting that her ex-husband would take them with him to Bulawayo.
However, when The Weekender approached the family, they stated that the children were staying with their uncle in Chigodora, not in Bulawayo with their father as had been promised to Muzvuve.
The children’s aunt, Bongiwe Mushoriwa claimed they resisted Muzvuve’s plea to have custody of her children because they were under instructions from the children’s father.
“The mother was not informed about her son’s death, and I am told that her phone was not reachable to convey the news to her. We were only told after her arrival that she wanted the body to be taken to a mortuary, but we had already buried him. However, the village head was informed, and everything went according to plan. We only follow the father’s orders,” she said.
Mushoriwa also dismissed allegations that a relative gave the deceased kid rice suspected to have been laced with poison.
Online Reporter