Source: Tapiwa burial set for Saturday | The Herald
Rutendo Rori
Seven-year-old Tapiwa Makore killed in September last year for ritual purposes in Murehwa district will be buried on Saturday, even though the head is yet to be found.
In an interview with The Herald yesterday, Tapiwa’s father Mr Munyaradzi Makore said the burial will be on Saturday afternoon. “Nothing has changed, our son’s burial will be on Saturday although we have made adjustments to the time for burial. Initially we had planned to collect his remains on Friday but we have finally decided to collect on Saturday morning.
“We feel a bit relieved now that our son will be finally laid to rest. However, it is still painful to witness our son’s burial without his head. Our minds will not be at peace until we find Tapiwa’s head,” said Mr Makore.
Family spokesperson Ms Beaulah Musupayi said everything was put in place for Tapiwa’s burial. “Initially we had planned to collect the remains on Friday but after a meeting with the chief, we have decided to collect the remains on Saturday morning,” she said.
“We considered that if the body spends the whole night at the homestead, it might raise emotions and trigger conflict among relatives. So we want to avoid that and as a result, the burial will start in the afternoon.”
Ms Musupayi said everything was put in place to ensure that Covid-19 regulations were followed. “As you are aware that Tapiwa’s murder attracted the whole nation’s attention and our biggest worry is controlling people because obviously they will come in large numbers.
Tapiwa went missing on September 17 last year while looking after his parents’ garden. His torso was found the following morning, with some parts, including the head missing.
Six suspects, including relatives, have since been arrested while others were questioned in connection with the kidnapping and murder.
The killers and their accomplices abducted the boy, shepherded him to a mountain and kept him for the whole day before murdering him and then chopping off his head, arms and legs at night.
The latest updates on police investigations show that police now believe an 11-year-old boy from Nyamutumbu Village was paid US$5 to lure Tapiwa Makore (Jnr) from the garden to his uncle’s homestead.
The uncle, Tapiwa Makore (Snr), allegedly gave the boy $5 plus a T-shirt for the crucial role he played in the murder before warning him against disclosing the matter to other villagers. However, the boy handed over the money to his mother who kept the secret until everything came out during the investigation.
The uncle together with his herdsman Tafadzwa Shamba (40), the first person arrested, are in remand prison pending the murder trial.
In November last year, another Makore brother, Thanks Makore (56) was also arrested in connection with the ritual murder, with allegations that he was given the boy’s head and arms. Thanks Makore of Damofalls was arrested in Harare and has since appeared before a Mutoko magistrate.
COMMENTS