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The Herald
Daniel Nemukuyu and Grace Chingoma
Yesterday, the POLICE fired three shots into the air to disperse resident rioters who threw stones at moving vehicles after an unsuccessful search for the head of the murdered Murehwa boy at his uncle’s home in Damofalls, Ruwa.
Dozens of people, mainly Damofalls residents, crowded the street of the house owned by Thanks Makore to witness the search, after three informants told police that the head was buried in the house.
But police confirmed last night that they had not found the skull or any other part of the body during the search, despite rumors on social media.
Police have already recovered the torso, legs and arms of seven-year-old Tapiwa Makore, killed in an alleged ritual murder in Murehwa last month.
Most of the body parts were recovered in the Murehwa area.
Police cordoned off Thanks Makore’s home near Cream Mall in Ruwa to allow uninterrupted search.
Thank you Makore, an uncle of the late Tapiwa Makore (Junior), is jointly charged with his twin Tapiwa (Senior) for the murder of his nephew. The couple, along with three other suspects, are in pretrial detention awaiting trial for murder.
Acting on the information received, detectives yesterday released Thanks Makore from jail for indications at his home.
After a day of searching, dozens of people who demanded to see the suspect protested against the police decision to “smuggle” him out of the house. As the Nissan Navara carrying the suspect drove away, some people threw stones, while others attempted to scale the pre-fabricated wall towards the Makore family home, prompting police to fire warning shots. Residents who threw stones had battles with the police.
When The Herald left Damofalls, police officers were still protecting the home from resident rioters.
The search began around 9 a.m. with police digging in the yard to no avail.
Journalists were prevented from entering the courtyard, but flashes through the gaps saw the police team digging a concrete pavement.
While investigators were busy searching inside, people, mainly women, danced and sang while holding signs.
Some of the posters said “Justice for Tapiwa now”, “Enough is enough, we want Tapiwa’s head now”.
The rains that fell in the afternoon could not deter the protesters and they continued to sing and dance under the umbrellas, while some simply braved the rains.
The numbers soared in the late afternoon, calling for riot police to intervene.
At around 5 p.m., police brought sniffer dogs to the scene to assist in the search, but to no avail. The two dogs spent an hour in the yard, but showed no signs that they could smell human remains.
Interviews conducted by The Herald revealed that Thanks Makore and his family hosted a party at their Damofalls home on October 21, which coincided with the boy’s disappearance in Murehwa.
“We were surprised because we knew about the Tapiwa murder and we knew that he was a close relative of the family,” said a neighbor. “How could someone celebrate at a time when there was a family duel?
“A big cake was delivered that day and there were celebrations. We don’t know what the celebration was about, if it was a birthday party or just a party. ”
Thanks Makore is married and has five children. He stayed home with his wife, who goes to United Methodist Church, and their latest son who is in boarding at Advanced Level. There is also a tenant in the house.
Thanks Makore and his wife are investing in Murehwa and have built a store that has not yet opened.
“Now they were spending considerable time in Murehwa where they built the store,” said another neighbor.
