Online Reporter
THERE was drama at Chief Mutasa’s community court when a spirit claiming to be that of the late Martin Machika, whose death was initially ruled a suicide by hanging, possessed a relative and demanded justice, accusing the men who discovered his body of murder.
During proceedings before a packed courtroom, Machika’s supposed spirit sensationally claimed he was murdered for ritual purposes. It also demanded the return of a mysterious bag that went missing on the fateful day.
The spirit accused Godden Chirara, a self-styled prophet, of playing a central role in the killing.
The court also heard a testimony that a villager who allegedly picked up Machika’s missing bag later had a dream in which the deceased instructed him to hand it over to Chirara.
Machika’s spirit recounted his final hours, claiming he had visited Chirara’s homestead with a friend seeking spiritual help for marital problems.
“I had gone to Chirara’s homestead with my friend to seek his services. His wife and daughters even prepared me food, which I ate,” the spirit declared, sending chills through the gallery.
“After my friend and I left, we parted ways, but I never made it back home. Chirara and his accomplices killed me and used my body parts for rituals.”
Machika’s body was later found hanging from a tree in the valley by Patrick Nyatoti.
“I was the first to see the body hanging from a tree at sunset,” Nyatoti said.
“I thought someone was climbing, but when I looked closely, I realised it was a corpse. I was shocked. I called a neighbour, Mabasa. Together we alerted others, including Chirara and Timburwa, who are now my co-accused in this murder case.”
Nyatoti insisted he neither knew nor killed Machika.
Chirara also pleaded innocent.
“I only recognised him vaguely as someone who had once been to my homestead with a friend, looking for help with marital issues. I did not kill him,” he said.
When Chief Mutasa asked Chirara to use his spiritual powers to shed light on the matter, the prophet purportedly got into a trance and “prophesied” that Machika had, in fact, been killed by his own family.
“He came seeking help over his wife’s infidelity. But the Lord is revealing that we did not kill him. His own elder brother, Victor, is responsible. The family knows more than they are saying.
However, Victor vehemently denied the accusations.
“I loved my brother. How can anyone accuse me of killing him? We mourned and buried him and now we are being dragged into lies. It is unthinkable,” he said.
He went on to explain the bizarre circumstances that led to the exhumation and reburial of his brother’s body.
The family had initially buried him in the section reserved for suicide victims, but they soon began experiencing strange dreams while children manifested the deceased’s spirit, which insisted he was murdered.
“We exhumed him and reburied him in the normal section of the graveyard. After that, the dreams stopped for a while. But later, the manifestations started again. This time, he kept demanding his missing bag; the same bag that vanished on the day he died. He said it holds the truth of what happened to him,” Victor explained.
After hearing the testimonies, Chief Mutasa ruled that the matter was too complex to be concluded by the traditional court.
“This case is not only about family fights or accusations. A life was lost and there are too many unanswered questions. The disappearance of this bag raises serious suspicions. If indeed foul play was involved, then the law must take its course,” he said.
Chief Mutasa then adjourned the court and handed over the accused men — Chirara, Nyatoti and Timburwa — to the police for further investigations. — Manicaland Bureau
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Love-struck teen caged for stabbing girl over rejection
A love-struck teenager from Madlambuzi was sentenced to 12 months in prison after stabbing a 15-year-old girl with an Okapi knife for rejecting his romantic advances.
Mthabeseni Ncube (18) appeared before Plumtree magistrate Joshua Nembaware and pleaded guilty to assaulting Sukoluhle Ndebele.
According to Prosecutor Sheila Nyathi, the incident occurred after Ndebele attended a traditional function that went on until late at night. As she was leaving, Ncube followed her and professed his love.
When Ndebele turned him down, a heated argument erupted.
In a fit of rage, Ncube pulled an Okapi knife from his pocket and stabbed her on the forehead, leaving her bleeding and terrified.
Villagers rushed to the scene and managed to restrain Ncube before handing him over to the police.
Ncube was convicted on his own plea of guilty. He was subsequently sentenced to 12 months in prison, of which six months were suspended for five years on condition he does not commit a similar offence.
He will serve an effective six months behind bars. — Bulawayo Bureau
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Artisanal miner jailed 25 years for murder in tiff over radio
Teenage artisanal miner Gerald Gombe (18) has been sentenced to 25 years in jail for fatally stabbing a fellow miner in a row over a portable radio.
Gombe, of Village 5, Chironde area, under Chief Nhema, appeared before a Bulawayo High Court judge on circuit in Gweru charged with murder.
He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of culpable homicide, but the court rejected the plea and convicted him of murdering Vasco Masara (33), of Village 17, Tokwe 3, Shurugwi.
Prosecutor Thomson Hove told the court that on December 17, 2022, at approximately 6pm, Masara was in his cabin at Nduku Mine Wonderer when he had a heated argument with Gombe’s accomplice, Tadiwa Chirimuuta, who is still at large.
“The altercation was over a radio that was inside the deceased’s cabin. Gombe, who was some metres away, was called by Chirimuuta and armed himself with a knife while Chirimuuta grabbed an axe,” said Hove.
The duo then pounced on Masara.
“The accused person stabbed the deceased several times all over the body and his accomplice used an axe handle to strike the deceased. They then fled, leaving him bleeding,” he added.
Masara was rushed to Shurugwi District Hospital, where he died upon admission.
A post-mortem conducted at United Bulawayo Hospitals revealed that he died from hypovolemic shock caused by multiple stab wounds.
Lloyd Matambo, Masara’s uncle, witnessed the dispute moments before the tragedy.
“Masara refused to hand over the radio, saying he wanted his wife to explain how it ended up in their cabin,” he told the court.
Minutes later, Matambo met Gombe and Chirimuuta, who were armed with a knife and small axe.
“When I reached Masara’s cabin, I found him struggling to remove his blood-soaked shirt. He told me that Gombe stabbed him with a Columbia knife and Chirimuuta struck him with an axe,” he stated.
Gombe was arrested after the police were alerted, while Chirimuuta is on the run.
The court handed Gombe a 25-year sentence. — Midlands Bureau
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Cop hides dagga evidence after arrest
A 21-year-old Lupane police officer has been convicted after being caught hiding a stash of dagga (marijuana) he was supposed to submit as evidence, turning a routine drug bust into a scandal.
Nqobile Mutale, a member of the Zimbabwe Republic Police Constabulary, was convicted by the Lupane Magistrates’ Court after admitting he tampered with evidence in a drug case.
On September 18, Mutale arrested Thulani Sibanda for the unlawful possession of dagga following a tip-off.
Instead of fully processing all the recovered drugs, Mutale allegedly struck a shady deal with Sibanda to hide part of the stash behind the police base.
His plan was foiled when detectives launched a follow-up investigation.
Mutale eventually confessed under pressure, leading them straight to the concealed dagga.
The National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) said Mutale’s actions “tarnished the police service’s fight against drugs”.
“He pleaded guilty to obstructing the course of justice,” read the NPAZ statement.
The court handed Mutale a 24-month jail term. Nine months of the sentence were suspended.
The remaining 15 months were also suspended on condition that he completes 525 hours of community service. The NPAZ has since warned law-enforcement officers against undermining justice. — Bulawayo Bureau
