_Forward Everywhere_ *Charumbira Land Dispute: The body of a sabhuku who was killed by Chief Charumbira's bodyguards still in mortuary 4-years later* Advertise with us WhatsApp +263 77 443 4698 Ngatibatane pa WhatsApp Channel 👇🏾 *View and Follow and Share this channel* https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaJEcyNDTkK81mXyWB0s The body of a village head allegedly assaulted and killed by alleged Chief Fortune Charumbira’s bodyguards over a boundary dispute in September 2021 is still in the mortuary at Masvingo Provincial Hospital four years-on amid allegations of a ploy to sweep the case under the carpet. The delay in closing the case has baffled the Takawira family which paid US$1 050 for DNA tests for the deceased. Family members accused Police of acting in cahoots with the Charumbiras and trying to sweep the alleged murder of headman Taurayi Lovemore Takawira (38) under the carpet. The murder case is pending at the High Court. Police allegedly tried to close the case of murder against Charumbira’s alleged 11 bodyguards after it declared that the body which was found in a state of advanced decomposition did not belong to Takawira. The Takawira family however insisted that the body belonged to the headman after positively identifying several things including the clothes that the deceased wore on the day of the alleged murder. The family blocked Police from giving Takawira’s suspected corpse a pauper’s burial after appealing to the High Court for DNA tests. The deceased’s wife said they are grieved and pained by the slow pace of the case and the constant realization that her husband’s body is there in the mortuary. Takawira’s relatives who spoke on condition of anonymity said burial is not taking place now because Police is blocking Aleck Maunganidze, the Chief Technician in the Department of Applied Biology and Biochemistry at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) from releasing DNA results for a process carried out on October 17, 2023. Several efforts to get a comment from Maunganidze were futile as his mobile was not reachable. National Police Spokesperson Paul Nyathi was not picking his calls when Masvingo Mirror contacted him. Chief Charumbira denied allegations of his involvement in the concealment of the murder case. He initially told Masvingo Mirror that he was unaware of the case and threatened to sue the newspaper if it went ahead and published the story. He later changed his statement and said that he was only aware of one similar incident which took place along the power line near Bondolfi. He said that the suspects involved in that incident were arrested and have been acquitted by the High Court. The wrangle between Chief Bere and Chief Charumbira arose following the re-establishment of Bere chieftainship 125 years after it was abolished. Boundary disputes arose and it is the State case that Winterton Chirove, a Zanu PF activist who was only five months out of prison after serving 18 years for murder was among 11 of alleged Chief Charumbira’s bodyguards. They allegedly attacked Takawira and two other village heads, Mike Wengedzai Matambanadzo and Luckson Sinamai (all under Chief Bere) who were clearing a piece of land allocated to Sinamai by Chief Bere at village 17A Mushandike Resettlement Area, Masvingo. Sinamai and Matambanadzo escaped, leaving Takawira who was not feeling well behind. Takawira was not seen again until November 3, 2021 when his decomposing body was discovered by a man looking for his cattle. The matter was reported to Police leading to the arrest of the suspects. The accused argued in court that the discovered body was not that of Headman Takawira. They insisted that Takawira went to South Africa. Takawira’s family argued that they positively identified the deceased’s body including the clothes that he was wearing on the day that he was attacked by the suspects. Initially, the body was supposed to go to South Africa for DNA tests but for reasons of costs, the process was done in Zimbabwe by Maunganidze. The deceased’s molar tooth, a piece of his skin, his toothbrush and two of his brothers Joseph and Leon Takawira were provided for the DNA tests. “We paid for the DNA tests however, when we went to collect the results, Maunganidze informed us that Police had instructed him not to release them. This is what’s delaying our brother’s burial. I don’t understand why Police is withholding the results,” said Takawira He said the longer the results are kept back, the more different stories they hear from the Police. “It is a ploy to prevent Charumbira’s alleged people from going to prison but we are suffering because we can’t bury our brother,” said Takawira. The 11 suspects are Chirove, Shelton Samuel (54), Nogo Zicheche (65), Moleon Mbengo (50), Eriya Kwangwari (76), Elfas Mudhenge (76), Brighton Madzivire (33), Vunganai Makono (68), Ratiel Muvingi (86), Aquilla Muzenda (61) and Paul Clever Munankopa (75). Chirove murdered Petros Jeka an MDC polling agent in 2002. The incident happened at Bondolfi Business Centre in Masvingo Rural. Chirove was the Zanu PF youth chairperson and was jointly convicted of the murder along with Blessing Sonono. * Masvingo mirror