ZIMBABWE –A Chipinge family has refused to bury a relative who was  murdered by three men following an altercation over a beer bottle.

The deceased,  Tanaka Blessing Sithole, 27,  whose body was dumped in Dakate River by his alleged murderers was found after three days floating in a river without private parts, all his intestines and the skin to his abdomen was peeled off.

The deceased’s body is now stuck at Chiredzi  District Hospital after his family disputed postmortem findings which said that the missing body parts were mauled by a crocodile.

The suspected murderers Mapipi Sigauke (49), Gilbert Chingwinire (28), Oddiness Sigauke, Mazano Sigauke (26) of Chisavanye Village, and Edmore Mutetwa (33) of Handireni Village have since been remanded in prison until the 22nd of March 2021 by Chipinge Magistrate Elizabeth Hanzi.

He was murdered at Chabuya Tuckshop, Gumira Business Centre on March 2, 2021.

In an interview with Chipinge Times, the deceased’s brother Taurai Sithole said:

“When we found the corpse, three days after the murder it was thrown in Dakate River, his private parts, the skin of his abdomen and all intestines were missing.

“We are not in agreement with the postmortem so we left the body at Chiredzi Hospital so that another postmortem is done,” said Sithole.

He also said they found the deceased’s clothes close to where he was lying and they found him without his trousers adding that there is strong suspicion that the body parts were sold to a businessman involved in rituals.

The State represented by prosecutor Thulani Zondwayo said the accused and the deceased were drinking beer at Chabuya Tuckshop then Oddiness and Chigwinire had an altercation with the deceased after the now-deceased took away a bottle of beer from Chigwinire.

The trio attacked the now-deceased with open hands, fists, and sticks until he was unconscious.

The accused then ferried him in an ox-drawn cart belonging to Oddiness Sigauke. They drove the cart to Dakate River and threw the body into the water and went away.

On March 4, his body was found floating in the river by Chandakaona Ndlovu (50) of Myambo Village who intended to bath. He advised Morgan Kufakwababa (52), the father of the deceased.

Police retrieved the body and took it to Chiredzi Hospital for postmortem.