A tragedy unfolded on Christmas Day at the Harare residence of Supreme Court Justice Felistus Chatukuta, leaving behind a cloud of unanswered questions and a community in mourning.
Agreement Ndhlera, a 27-year-old prison officer assigned to guard duty at the judge’s Mt Pleasant home, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. While police are treating the death as a suicide, the circumstances surrounding the event remain shrouded in uncertainty.
The incident, which occurred around 5:45 AM on December 25th, involved Ndhlera and a fellow officer, Co1 Dziripi, who were on duty together. An internal memo from the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) provides a detailed account of the events leading up to the shooting.
“On December 25, at about 0600hrs a telephone report was received by Chief Supt Mukombachoto to the effect that on the same day about 0545hrs at Justice Chatukuta’s place of residence…2939614G Co1 Ndhlera Agreement of CPU section took his life using AK 47 rifle whilst he was on guard duty in the company of 2939175E co1 Dziripi E also of CPU section at Justice Chatukuta’s place of residence in Marlborough,” the memo states.
According to the memo, Ndhlera allegedly retrieved an AK-47 rifle from the guard room, moved approximately 15-20 metres away, and cocked the weapon. Witnessing this, Co1 Dziripi fled the scene, seeking safety.
According to the memo, it is alleged that Co1 Ndhlela was on guard duty in the company of co1 Dziripi at Chatukuta’s place of residence in Marlborough, whilst they were sitted in the guard room. At around 0545hrs co1 Ndhlera grabbed AK rifle which was on the table in the guard room and run out of the guard room due north inside the security wall about 15 to 20m from the guard room.
He stopped and corked the AK rifle with his leg, seeing this action co1 Dziripi ran away and jumped the wall to the next house taking cover. All of sudden he heard a gun shoot and Co1 Dziripi also jumped the wall from the next house where he took cover going outside into Lower Humpden Street. He checked from outside what had happened to co1 Ndhlera over the wall and saw him lying on the ground under a tree. He then advised his superiors.
The memo continues, describing how Dziripi, after hearing the gunshot, observed Ndhlera lying on the ground and subsequently informed their superiors. The matter was reported to ZRP Marlborough under RRB 6264217.
While police have classified the death as a suicide, the details paint a complex picture. The ZPCS memo, while providing a chronological account, doesn’t offer insight into the underlying motivations for Ndhlera’s actions. Close sources, while confirming the events as described in the memo, remain shocked and express uncertainty about the reasons behind the tragedy. “Close sources confirmed the incident that they are still shocked and the reasons for his suicide are still unknown.”
Adding to the uncertainty, a separate report emerged earlier, stating that Ndhlera was found dead at Justice Chatukuta’s home around 7 PM on December 24th, with a gunshot wound to the head. This report also cites a family dispute as a potential contributing factor to Ndhlera’s state of mind. The discrepancy in the time of death requires further clarification.
However, ZimLive reported that Agreement Ndhlera, 27, was found dead at Justice Felistus Chatukuta’s home in Mt Pleasant with a gunshot wound to the head at around 7PM on December 24.
According to Zimlive, the incident happened on 24 December at around 7pm, while according to other sources, the incident took place on Christmas day in the morning. Nonetheless, Police are treating his death as a suicide.
Ndhlera was allegedly in turmoil over a family dispute, a law enforcement source said. It is unclear if Justice Chatukuta, appointed to the bench in October 2005, was home at the time.