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The Herald
Daniel Nemukuyu in Murehwa
The pastor, Tafadzwa Shamba, who was recently arrested for the ritual murder of Tapiwa Makore (7) in the village of Makore in Murehwa, told detectives yesterday that he killed the boy by cutting off his head with a knife in the dead of night, while the boy the uncle held a torch.
Detectives took him to Makore Village in Murehwa yesterday for an on-site inspection.
Shamba said that after the murder, he was carrying a black plastic bag containing the head and dismembered body, while his employer, who is the boy’s uncle, Tapiwa Makore (Senior), carried another bag with his arms and legs.
Makore has also been arrested since then and appeared in court yesterday, where he was taken into custody on murder charges.
Dressed in prison clothes, Shamba, who was visibly nervous, led police to the garden where he abducted the boy allegedly on the instructions of the boy’s uncle.
From there, Shamba led the detective team to the uncle’s home, where he said he fed the boy, drugged him with kachasu and locked him in a room for hours.
“I went to the kitchen hut and brought the sadza boy and dried fish. I washed his hands before giving him food. After eating, I went to Ms. Katsande’s farm where I bought five liters of illicit beer (kachasu).
“I drank the beer to gather courage. I also put some sugar in the infusion and offered it to the boy who took it until he got drunk and fell asleep. Then I locked him in the room before heading back to Ms. Katsande’s house for more beer, ”he said.
While at the Katsande farm, the village guards broke the news of the missing child. Makore (Sr.) joined the boy’s father, Mr. Munyaradzi Makore, in the search party, but at midnight they had to stop.
Shamba said he met the boy’s uncle around midnight and took him to a nearby mountain where he was killed.
“Around midnight, we opened the door and I took the boy, who was still fast asleep, to a mountain in the village.
“Mr. Makore carried the knives and the plastic bags. While I was here (on the mountain), I pressed the boy to the ground and cut his head off with a sharp knife, while his uncle held a torch to light it.
“I also cut my hands and legs, but we packed the pieces in different plastic bags. I carried the one with the torso and the head, while Mr. Makore carried another that contained the legs and hands, ”he said.
At the scene, investigators saw human waste, believed to have been excreted by the boy during the murder.
Shamba told detectives that he cleaned the scene of the blood and set the grass on fire to destroy the evidence.
He said that as he walked towards Makore’s house, he felt the load getting heavier before throwing his torso near Mr. Summer Murwira’s house.
“The bag was heavier now and the dogs were barking. I had to quickly let go of my torso and proceeded with my head, ”he said.
While at Makore’s house, Shamba said he was told to put his head in one of the rooms, which he did.
The next day, Shamba said he threw his arms and legs into a nearby grave as police investigations intensified.
Villagers could be seen, eager to follow procedures, watching from a distance.
Police are still searching for a third man, described as a sorcerer, who was allegedly given his head.
