HIGH COURT judge Justice Munamato Mutevedzi has convicted Tapiwa Makore Snr and Tafadzwa Shamba for the gruesome murder of a Murehwa minor for ritual purposes.
Young Tapiwa Makore (7) was murdered in September 2020 before his body was chopped into pieces.
Some of his body parts were found dumped in the village being mauled by dogs a day after his brutal murder, while other parts were recovered from a pit latrine at his uncle and namesake’s homestead.
The boy was buried almost a year later with his head missing after government and traditional leaders intervened in the impasse.
Makore Snr had denied the charge, although his domestic worker Shamba confessed and gave a graphic depiction of how they killed the boy.
The judge ruled that evidence was clear that Shamba killed the boy on orders from his employer, Tapiwa Snr.
“Shamba is guilty beyond reasonable doubt as required by the law. Shamba be and is hereby found guilty for the murder of Tapiwa while Makore Snr is found guilty for the murder of Tapiwa as an accomplice,” the judge ruled.
“The court is satisfied that the statement by Shamba was acceptable and confirms that he committed the offence.”
- Fresh land invasions hit Whitecliff
- Pomona cash row escalates
- Border Timbers targets European markets
- SA name strong A side for Zim tour
Keep Reading
He said the way Shamba explained how he sat on the boy, beheading him before cutting off his body parts and packing them shows that murder was committed.
“He explained it in graphic detail. That detail elaborates his intimate details regarding commission of the crime,” the judge said.
Mutevedzi said Shamba’s involvement was confirmed by other issues that included confessing to the murder and also on indications where he pointed a house the boy was detained.
He said everything he said corroborated well with the police findings acting on his confession.
“Accused one (Shamba)’s fate is sealed by the fact that body parts were found through his confession,” the judge said.
Mutevedzi said Makore Snr’s involvement in the commission of the offence was not quite clear, the probability of him being an accomplice were high given that he had not disputed claims that he supplied all material resources used by Shamba in carrying out the heinous crime.
“The victim was detained in his (Makore Snr)’s house. He supplied alcohol which was uses to drug the victim,” the judge said, noting that Makore Snr did not dispute the allegations.
“The question which arises is if he supplied means for Shamba to commit this offence, the child was locked in his house for long hours, in fact for around eight hours, it is unimaginable that he wouldn’t have noticed the presence of the boy in his house,” the judge said.
The duo now awaits sentence on July 12.
