Online Reporter
Mthabisi Tshuma, B-Metro Reporter
THE dusty village of Malalume in Bulilima has been rocked by horror and betrayal after a police officer allegedly beat a suspect who was in custody until he died.
To cover up for the crime, the cop allegedly chopped the body into pieces and shoved them down a pit latrine.
Constable Blessed Moyo, stationed at Malalume Police Base, is at the centre of a murder mystery after the remains of a man he arrested earlier this year were found buried in the toilet behind the clinic that also houses the police base.
Villagers say Moyo teamed up with other locals to silence the truth. But their secrets were unearthed when a skull and skeletal remains were discovered along with a pair of handcuffs, a bloodied Okapi knife, and torn clothing.
“We trusted him to protect us but he was the devil in our midst,” said a shopkeeper at Tjaguta Business Centre. “He abused power, harassed us for beer, and now this? He must rot in jail.”
According to police sources, the saga began in early February when a villager, Melisa Ndlovu, caught a man stealing food and clothes from her home. The man fled but was later arrested by Moyo. He was cuffed and brought to the police base where Melisa and three others identified him as the thief.
Witnesses say the man, who claimed to be from Binga and appeared mentally unstable, was brutally assaulted by Moyo using a mopane switch, sjambok, cooking stick and plastic pick handle until he confessed.
“He begged for water and said he felt dizzy,” a police source said. “They returned to the police base where Moyo dismissed the others, saying he would arrange transport to Bulawayo. The man was never seen alive again.”
On 22 May, a skull and bones were discovered buried in a toilet behind the base. The horror intensified when it was confirmed that the remains were those of the man last seen in Moyo’s custody.
Prophets and traditional healers were called in by villagers to uncover the truth, leading to the shocking revelation.
Moyo was arrested and denied bail when he appeared at Plumtree Magistrate’s Court on May 23 before magistrate Mark Dzira. His case continues today. The State is being represented by prosecutor Arnold Mudekunye.
“This man thought he could hide behind the uniform,” said a villager who requested anonymity. “But even bones can talk. We want justice for the soul he buried.”
Investigations revealed that Moyo had called his friends Lungelo Moyo and Bayanda Ncube the night the man vanished. One of them reportedly borrowed an okapi knife shortly after arriving at the base. Another man, Siyabonga Dube, is believed to be the owner of the handcuffs found on the corpse.
Headman Senganyondo declined to comment, saying the matter is now before the courts. But the village is demanding answers.
“We are not fools. That man was killed in cold blood and they tried to bury the truth. But the ancestors refused to be silenced,” said one elderly villager.
Villagers claim Moyo has a history of violence and that complaints against him were ignored.
“He beat someone until their hand stopped working,” claimed another villager. “But nothing was done. Now a man is dead.”
The case continues, and villagers vow they will not rest until justice is served.
