Story by Tapiwa Machemedze
A wave of fear and uncertainty has swept across Guruve District following a series of suspected murder cases reported in the area since October.
The normally tranquil Ona Farm, a farming community renowned for maize and tobacco production, has been plunged into mourning after five members of the same family were killed on Sunday, in an incident that has left residents traumatised and searching for answers.
Community members say the events of December 14 were deeply disturbing, with residents awakened by screams in the early hours of the morning before the grim discovery was made.
According to locals, a mother, her son and daughter, as well as two grandchildren, were found dead, shattering the community’s sense of safety and leaving residents gripped by fear and disbelief.
“I heard screams around nine while relaxing. The day was windy, so it took a while for the screams to be heard clearly. There was a loud thud on the door, and it reverberated to the roof,” Neighbour, Innocent Chitatura said.
The murder case has left the community in fear, as there have been several other alleged killings recorded in Guruve since October.
“I am in pain, my wife was killed, and my brother-in-law, my children all died. I am in pain. Right now, five bodies are coming here, and I do not know what to do. We are all scratching our heads,” Gift Mateta said.
“This is not good at all because a woman had died, she is my aunt, her daughter, her son and two grandchildren,” Cloty Zvitsva said.
Community elders, among them the village head, say such incidents have never happened in Guruve since time immemorial.
“I have never seen such a thing, the death of so many people, that is. I last saw such occurrences in the war of liberation when people would be bombed,” community elder, Maxmillian Kandengu said.
“What happened here is shocking. Since I was born, I am 52 years old. I have never seen such a thing that five people were killed in one day, and they are all members of one family, and we do not even understand what the persons’ motive was,” Village Head, Daniel Nyakasi said.
“As we speak, the police are on the ground, they have more manpower. I heard there are some horses, some drones, and they can use these to look for people. But this is a sad incident. When you have a family of five dying at once, it is sad, and there will be no resources. We did our paperwork, and we hope to assist,” Guruve Assistant District Development Co-ordinator, Innocent Mutsvenguri said.
In a statement this Tuesday, the Zimbabwe Republic Police released the picture of the suspect in the Guruve murder case, Anymore Zvitsva.
National Police Spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the suspect is linked to three other murder cases in Zimuna village, where a mother and two children were allegedly killed.
Since October, at least 14 people have been killed in Guruve. Could these killings be related? The answer remains to be unravelled as investigations continue.
