In a gruesome and shocking case of ritual murder in Murehwa, Zimbabwe, High Court judge Justice Munamato Mutevedzi has convicted Tapiwa Makore Snr and Tafadzwa Shamba for the murder of a seven-year-old boy, Tapiwa Makore.
The young boy was murdered in September 2020 for ritual purposes, and his body was chopped into pieces, with his torso being found mauled by dogs a day after his brutal murder. Other body parts were recovered from a pit latrine at his uncle and namesake’s homestead.
The boy was buried almost a year later without his head, which was still missing, after government and traditional leaders intervened in the impasse. Makore (Snr) had denied the charge, although his domestic worker, Shamba, confessed and made graphic indications on how they killed the boy. The judge ruled that the evidence was clear that Shamba killed the boy on orders from his employer, Makore Snr.
The verdict has brought some measure of relief to the grieving family and has been welcomed by human rights groups and the wider community. The case has highlighted the issue of ritual murders and the need for the government to take appropriate measures to curb these heinous crimes.
The sentences for Makore Snr and Shamba will be handed down on July 12.
