Chipinge – The southeastern district of Chipinge, long admired for its verdant estate plantations, undulating hills, and welcoming spirit, is currently grappling with a disturbing surge in murder cases. This unsettling trend has plunged local communities into a state of fear, leaving authorities struggling to find solutions.
The year has begun on a grim note, with a series of gruesome murders casting a dark shadow over the once-peaceful district. As the number of killings continues to climb, residents are now living in constant fear, with many questioning what has driven this surge in violence.
Adding to the concern is the seemingly trivial nature of the reasons behind these heinous crimes. Many cases stem from petty disputes, while others are attributed to mental health challenges and instances of individuals taking the law into their own hands.
One recent incident involved a Mozambican national, cohabiting with his girlfriend in Chipinge, who was brutally murdered last Saturday after villagers accused him of being involved in local theft cases.
Manicaland Acting Police Spokesperson Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka confirmed the incident, which occurred in Mahachi Village, under Chief Musikavanhu in Chisumbanje. According to Chinyoka, the victim, only identified as Chimudanda, was dragged from a beer drink by three villagers – Clever Mudango (33), William Kotomani, and Excerbia Kotomani – who severely assaulted him on the assumption that he was breaking into villagers’ homes. Chimudanda’s lifeless body was discovered the following day.
Circumstances surrounding the murder indicate that Chimudanda was cohabiting with his girlfriend, Monica Chiusavi (25). On the fateful evening, the couple was enjoying a beer at Chisiya Homestead around 7 pm when they were accosted by the trio.
The suspects allegedly dragged Chimudanda to a secluded area and began assaulting him, demanding that he reveal the location of their stolen items. When Amos Muleya (25) attempted to intervene, one of the suspects struck him with an unidentified object, causing him to fall unconscious.
Chimudanda’s body was discovered the next morning around 6 am by Privilege Mutopeya (32) along a footpath leading to her field. Mutopeya informed Monica, who promptly filed a police report at Chisumbanje Police Station. Mudango has been arrested, while the other two suspects remain at large.
This incident is just one example of the escalating violence plaguing Chipinge. In January, Felix Maphosa (29) allegedly murdered his wife, Elizabeth Mlambo (46), by hammering a three-inch nail into her chest following a domestic dispute. Maphosa accused Mlambo of lying about being pregnant and secretly taking contraceptives.
Another chilling case involved Fungai Mudhluri (42), who was fatally attacked with a mattock wooden handle by his neighbour following a long-standing boundary dispute.
In yet another horrifying incident, Tawanda Magoso (32) allegedly struck his biological son, Tawonga (11), with an axe in an unprovoked attack. Tawanda’s father, Mr Enock Magoso (70), was forced to flee for his life after the accused charged towards him moments after murdering his own son. According to a relative, Tawanda is allegedly mentally challenged but not on any medication.
Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka stated that the police are working tirelessly to curb crime, including murder cases, by conducting awareness campaigns on the need to value the sanctity of human life.
“Police is always on the ground concertising people on the need to maintain law and order across the province. We carry out a number of campaigns regularly in all districts. In Chipinge Police District which also encompass Chimanimani, in January and February this year, we have recorded five murder cases and a number of attempted murder cases,” said Assistant Inspector Chinyoka.
He also expressed concern over the trivial reasons behind some of the murders and the involvement of individuals with alleged mental health issues. “We have noted with concern that some of the murder cases are caused by very flimsy reasons such as failure to handle disagreements. What is worrisome are murder cases being committed by alleged mentally challenged people, and we urge guardians to always check the movements and activities of such people. They must make sure that they are adhering to their medication and are always monitored. All suspected mental patient must be taken to hospitals where there are examined and put on treatment.”
Assistant Inspector Chinyoka also urged the public not to take the law into their own hands and to practice self-restraint. “People must not take the law into their own hands whenever they feel aggrieved. They also urged to always practice self-restrain. People must control their emotions and avoid altercations as this may lead to serious repercussions,” he said.
Chief Garahwa, Mr Tobias Hliziyo, stated that traditional leaders are doing their best to encourage communities to live in peace and harmony and to avoid the spilling of blood, which brings bad omens to their families.
“We are trying our best as traditional leaders to make sure that our people are living cordially, respecting each other. Whenever people have disputes, we encourage them to approach traditional courts for recourse and counselling. We do not encourage warring people to fight as this may lead to murder cases,” said Chief Garahwa.
He also noted that some villagers are opting to seek peace orders at magistrates’ courts, avoiding dialogue with traditional leaders. “There are some few villagers who opt to go to the magistrates’ court to seek peace orders as a way of avoiding dialogue platform provided by traditional leaders. A peace order may bring temporary peace, but does not resolve the problem, hence we see people attacking each other despite the peace order.”
“People must respect each other and ultimately there will be no unnecessary loss of lives. Murder cases bring bad omen to the family of the murderer. It also creates orphans and makes permanent animosity among communities,” said Chief Garahwa.
Mr Claris Madhuku, a community leader in Chipinge, attributed the rising murder cases to the influence of Mozambican and South African lifestyles, Gender-Based Violence, and crimes such as armed robbery.
“There is an effect of our brothers and sisters who are based in Mozambique and South Africa who are importing new survival skills which are alien to our communities. They are coming back here to commit crimes such as armed robbery, and in the process killing their victims. Our cultures here value human life, fears murder and believes in avenging spirit, but this may not exist in some societies where some of our people frequent,” said Mr Madhuku.
He also expressed concern over the decline in social values. “Our social values are on the decline as some people are no longer afraid of killing fellow human beings. There are also murders associated with Gender-Based Violence. Our social fabric has been shaken as people are now selfish and self-centered. There is need to improve the way disputes are handled in marriages, families and the communities.”
‘‘All stakeholders must come on board and work to combat these rising cases,” said Mr Madhuku.
