By Mdu Masiya
A Gokwe family which allegedly ‘heard’ its slain son speaking from his coffin dumped his body at a homestead in Zhombe, Village Zigandiwa, St George’s area on 6 September 2023.
Social media has been awash with different narratives of how the body that was dumped at Zephania Muchechetere’s homestead gave strict instructions to be left there.
Muchechetere’s sons, Shellington and Shelton, are accused of murdering Munyaradzi Mvurumi (21).
Police had to intervene and transferred the body to Kwekwe General Hospital after the Muchechetere family was forced to abandon the homestead where the decaying corpse was dumped in their yard.

When this news reporter arrived at the homestead on Thursday morning, an unveiling chilling scene of decay engulfed the surroundings.

The air was thick with a strong pungent odour and the source of the stench soon became horrifyingly clear as the deceased was lifted into a police coffin: a swarm of maggots fell from the decaying corpse, sending shudders through the onlookers and confirming suspicions of prolonged decomposition contrary to social media reports that the body was still in a fresh state.

In an interview, the alleged killers,  Shelton and Shellington, denied fighting with Mvurumi.
“I came here on the 6th of September 2023 after I was told by people at St George’s shops that a corpse had been dumped here at my father’s homestead. I stay with my uncle Kanisiyo Dickson so I came to investigate. I found the coffin here and never saw who had dumped it. It is being said I had a misunderstanding with Munyaradzi and it is said I beat him together with my aunt’s sons. A lot of stories are coming out and now it is being said my brother Shellington is also involved.
When this body was dumped here I went to Village headman Zigandiwa together with my father and we reported. He advised us to go to the police that is when I went to the police. I never fought with Munyaradzi I only know him as a gold panner working at Matutuka’s Mine,” said Shelton.

Shellington also echoed the same sentiments saying he never had contact with the deceased.

His father Zephania said out of desperation to have the corpse removed he approached the Mvurumi’s in the Chidoma area, Chief Njelele to have a roundtable discussion but all was in vain.
“I approached the Mvurumi’s with one cow and two goats so that they could take their sons whilst investigations are pending. Initially, they agreed but later on, one family member scattered the agreement we had made. I only wanted them to take the boy for burial whilst investigations were being carried out because as it is we have nowhere to stay,” he said.
In an effort to get the other side of the story, this reported called Mvurumi’s father who said that the relatives who had taken the body enroute for burial heard a voice coming from saying that they should take the body to Muchechetere homestead.
“I am his stepfather. I am the one that took him from the mine pit he was thrown into. Initially when we tried to enter the pit it was filled with water. We had to perform rituals to access the body. The water subsided and I went in after several people had tried. Already the body was decaying and I had to put him in a sack so that we could easily retrieve him. I could identify him through the clothes he was wearing that this was my son.

We then proceeded to take him to the mortuary that is when I was told that by the team who had the body heard a voice saying take me to Muchechetere homestead and failure to do that I will kill you all in an accident. I have recordings of the voice and I can send them to you on WhatsApp,” said the father Kwandabva Moyo.
Efforts to get the audio recordings  of the voice instructing the relatives to take the body to the Muchechetere homestead proved fruitless by the time of going to print.