The Sunday Mail
Emmanuel Kafe and Nyore Madzianike
THE father of slain minor Tapiwa Makore is a troubled yet relieved man.
It has been three years since Mr Munyaradzi Makore’s seven-year-old son was brutally murdered by his uncle, Tapiwa Makore Senior, in Murehwa, and he is struggling to move on.
The gruesome murder case caught the attention of the entire nation, eliciting screaming headlines across multiple media platforms, thrusting the Makore family into the spotlight as they sought justice.
Since then, Mr Makore says he has been going through a roller coaster of emotions, ranging from grief and anger and now to relief and closure.
He remains haunted by the events that took place on the night of September 17, 2020, when his son’s body was dismembered in a grisly killing, but he is also grateful that his brother was brought to justice.
Last week, the High Court convicted Makore Snr of the ritual murder of his brother’s son.
He was jointly charged with Tafadzwa Shamba, his herdsman, who was also found guilty of carrying out the killing.
While the conviction may have brought relief, and a sense of closure to Mr Makore, he remains distressed by the sheer betrayal he suffered at the hands of his sibling.
“It was a case of being stabbed in the back,” he told The Sunday Mail.
“Imagine a close family member you trust with your life stabbing you in the back.
“What was lost is a precious life, and no amount of court justice will bring back Tapiwa’s life.
“This will continue to haunt us for the rest of our lives, although this judgment has given us closure. We now know that it was our family members who took away Tapiwa’s life.”
Tapiwa’s father said he no longer trusts his family members.
“It’s now very difficult,” he added.
“Those you trust are the ones who will turn against you in such a way you will never forget.”
Mr Makore said he is still struggling to move on. He is, however, relieved that his son’s killers are behind bars, and he can finally start to heal.
He knows it will take time, but he is determined to find a way to move on.
“We moved away from Murehwa to Harare, when the case was still before the courts,” he said.
“We were trying to be as far away from the community where our son’s blood was spilt.
“But once judgment has been delivered, we will go back home — at least we will be a relieved people.”
On the morning of September 18, 2020, Nyamutumbu village in Murehwa was plunged into despair, after the minor’s torso was found being mauled by dogs.
His head and limbs were missing and were later found dumped in a Blair toilet.
Police arrested Tapiwa’s uncle, Makore Snr, and his herdsman, Shamba, for the killing.
In March 2021, Tapiwa’s remains were laid to rest, seven months after the callous murder that drew attention to the problem of ritual killings in Zimbabwe.
His head has not been found up to today.
Mr Makore said he will only rest after he finds his boy’s head.
During the long-running High Court trial that received extensive media coverage, prosecutors proved that Makore Snr directed Shamba to kill Tapiwa Jnr in a ritual murder to boost his cabbage garden business.
It was proved they mutilated the minor so they could sell his body parts to a witchdoctor for US$1 500.
It was proven in court that Makore Snr bought illicit beer, which was used to intoxicate the minor, before the two beheaded the boy in his sleep.
In his ruling, Justice Munamato Mutevedzi noted that the manner in which the body was cleanly dismembered suggests that the murder was for ritual purposes.
“The torso of his body was recovered on the morning of the day following his disappearance. Various other parts were later recovered.
“These included the lower limbs, which were dug out of a pit latrine in the village.
“They were all DNA-tested and confirmed to be parts of the deceased boy’s body.
“His head, however, remained missing and is unaccounted for to date,” he said.
The court also noted that Shamba voluntarily confessed to having committed the killing to the police.
A blood-stained pair of trousers belonging to Shamba, a five-litre plastic container written “Topoto”, a small animal tail and black plastic bags were recovered from Makore’s house.
“After all is said and done, we are satisfied that accused persons, in one form or another, left their bold and luminous footprints across the crime scene,” said Justice Mutevedzi.
“Surely, God did not see it fit to distribute the gift of intelligence evenly.
“The first accused (Shamba) is hoist with his own petard, which he created from his catastrophic error of judgement when he decided to confess in the ill-informed belief that he was getting even with the second accused (Makore).
“On his part, the second accused person . . . significantly aided and abetted the commission of the murder.”
Added Justice Mutevedzi: “In the end, we have no apprehension that the State managed to prove Tafadzwa Shamba’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt as required by law.
“We are equally satisfied that Tapiwa Makore’s role in the murder has also been proved beyond reasonable doubt.”
After the court’s judgment, the State requested time to prepare its submissions in aggravation, which it says require engaging the family of the slain boy, especially his mother, who wept uncontrollably throughout the court session.
The State indicated that it wanted to ascertain the extent of emotional damage the two convicts caused to the family and the community. Justice Mutevedzi gave the State up to July 6 to make the necessary consultations with the family and file its submissions in aggravation while lawyers representing Shamba and Makore (Snr) were also given the same date to file their submissions in mitigation.
The two convicts will be sentenced on July 12.
Legal experts who spoke to The Sunday Mail indicated that such cases often end with convicts receiving the death sentence or life imprisonment, considering the manner of the killing.
Harare lawyer Ephraim Ndlovu said the duo was likely to get a sentence ranging from 20 years up to a death penalty.
“It is a sentence that can go up to 20 years or a death sentence,” he said.
Another lawyer, Mr Paidamoyo Saurombe, said: “Likely the penalty is death to life in prison due to the aggravating circumstances and intention.”
