Livingstone
Mtetwa
CHIPINGE
– A 40-year-old Chipinge woman and her son recently
appeared before Chipinge magistrate facing murder charges after
they allegedly fatally assaulted a Mozambican national whom they accused of
theft and buried the body in a disused well.
Sekai
Simango and her son Gaza Sithole of Mahachi Village under Chief Musikavanhu appeared
before magistrate Franklin Mukwananzi who remanded them to April 23, 2021.
The duo
is accused of murdering Joe Makaya Bayapaya (39) on March 26, 2021 and buried
him in a disused well near their homestead.
The
state led by Prosecutor Timothy Katsande told the court that, on the day in
question around 1630 hours, the deceased was passing by the accused persons’
homestead selling curtains and they called him indicating that they wanted to
buy.
While
he was showing his wares, the accused persons are alleged to have started
accusing him of having stolen their blankets and other people’s belongings and
sold them.
It is
further alleged that Simango claimed to have seen the now deceased stealing the
blankets allegations which were denied by Bayapaya.
Simango
is alleged to have then struck the now deceased several times on the head and
all over the body using an iron bar before her son joined in the assault.
After
realizing that they had killed Bayapaya, they dragged the corpse and threw it
into a disused well close to their homestead and they partially filled it with
rubble, soil and trees branches to cover the deceased’s body.
Investigations
led the police to the accused persons’ place On April 7, 2021 and the body of
the deceased which was in an advanced state of decomposition was retrieved from
the well leading to the arrest of Simango and her son.
