A chilling murder spree in Rushinga in Mashonaland Central province, has left the community reeling in shock and fear.
The incident, which unfolded just after midnight on Saturday, saw a soldier gun down three people, including his 18-year-old girlfriend, before turning the weapon on himself.
The deceased have been identified as Justice Makiwa (33), Victor Mufaro Dzowa (38), a Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operative, and Evernice Magwenzi, the soldier’s girlfriend. The soldier, Corporal Henry Ncube of the 2.2 Combat Group Mudzi, was attached to the Rushinga Army base at the time of the incident.
Police have confirmed that Ncube was armed with an AK47 rifle loaded with 30 bullets. The incident has sparked outrage and raised concerns about the conduct of security forces in the area.
A Night of Terror
Eyewitnesses have painted a harrowing picture of the events leading up to the tragedy. According to a police memo, Ncube and a colleague entered Chikuni Bottle Store at Rushinga business centre dressed in army fatigue while armed with rifles.
“This did not go well with the patrons who were in the bottle store,” reads the police memo.
The memo further states that Makiwa was drinking beer outside his Toyota Fortuner at Rushinga Business Centre with Dzaoma when he was approached by Ncube and his colleague.
“A conversation ensued between the two soldiers and the now deceased Justice Makiwa and they had a heated argument,” police said. “The accused person cocked his rifle and shot Justice Makiwa on the head once and he fell down. The accused fired more shots, one of which grazed Corporal Simbo Tawanda once on the left hand as he was trying to disarm him. The accused also shot the second deceased Victor Mufaro Dzaoma on the abdomen while the latter was trying to restrain him from further discharging his firearm.”
An Inspector Munemo Munetsi was also shot by Ncube but escaped with injuries after hospital treatment.
A Trail of Violence
A teacher who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals shared a chilling account of how the soldiers who were accompanied by police officers and Dzaoma, had been harassing the community in the days leading up to the murders as well as on the fateful night.
“The team was doing an operation in Rushinga ahead of the 44th SADC summit slated for Harare next week,” the teacher said. “They were harassing the community and teachers were also being harassed.”
The teacher said that the team, clad in camouflage uniform and armed with AK47 rifles, had visited his house and accused him of planning a demonstration during the forthcoming SADC summit.
“They accused us of planning a demo during the SADC summit,” he said. “I indicated to them that I don’t know anything about the planned demo that they were talking about, and they are said to have left my homestead, but after allegedly intimidating my family members and warning me not to proceed with planning any demonstration during the SADC summit.”
The teacher said that the team then went to Magaranhewe Primary School in Rushinga where they intimidated another Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) member’s family members as the man they were looking for was not at home at that moment.
“From there, they reportedly went to Chimhanda where they took another teacher and brutalised him and bashed him,” the source said. “From there, that is when they went to Beven Matope, who is believed to be a Rushinga Rural Council worker, whom they also assaulted.”
A Night of Drinking and Violence
The teacher said that after their operation at around 12 midnight, the team went to drink beer at Goto bottle store where all hell broke loose.
“The soldiers, clad in camouflage uniform and armed with AK47 rifles, were drinking beer at Goto bottle store when a heated argument ensued with patrons,” the teacher said.
After the shooting, Ncube left for the army barracks where he lived and shot his unsuspecting girlfriend on the head as she lay on the bed. He then turned the lethal weapon on himself, shooting himself on the neck.
Police later found Makiwa’s lifeless body covered with a pink cloth, blood and was oozing from his head next to his car. Dzaoma also lay facing upwards some 7 mitres away with a gunshot wound on the abdomen.
“A trail of blood was leading from the steps of Goto bottle store to his resting place,” police said.
At the second scene, police added, the room door was wide open with his young girlfriend’s body “lying facing upwards and suspected brains were splashed on the bed”.
“She was covered with a blanket/suggesting that she was shot while asleep,” police said. “The late Corporal Ncube was dressed in army uniform lying facing upwards and had a gun shot on the neck. Suspected brains were protruding. The AK47 rifle was between his legs. The two bodies were on the same bed and blankets had blood stains. One AK 47 cartridge was seen on the floor.”
Officers from the forensic science laboratory who were part of the team that attended the murder scenes are yet to determine the number of rounds discharged, according to the police memo.
In a covering comment, the officer in charge of Rushinga said “the soldiers provoked the situation by entering the public place drinking beer and armed with rifles”.
A Community in Fear
The incident has left the community of Rushinga in fear. Many residents are afraid to speak out for fear of reprisals.
“We are living in fear,” said one resident, who asked not to be named. “We don’t know who to trust anymore.”
The incident has also raised concerns about the conduct of security forces in the country.
“This is a clear indication that there is a problem with the way security forces are operating in this country,” said a human rights activist, who also asked not to be named. “They are acting with impunity and they are not being held accountable for their actions.”
The police have launched an investigation into the incident and the investigations are ongoing under Rushinga RRB 6062163 to determine all the circumstances surrounding this tragic event.
