The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Correspondent
A MULTITUDE of angry Nyanga villagers thronged acting Chief Saunyama’s court last week on Friday as the avenging spirit of a former school librarian who was murdered in cold blood four years ago revealed the names of his alleged assailants.
The avenging spirit named at least 10 people who allegedly played a part in the gruesome murder.
The event saw the mob demanding instant justice on the late John Gotora’s alleged killers.
The librarian was brutally murdered and some of his body parts, including his private parts, were mutilated in a gory ritual murder in 2018.
Gotora stayed at his workplace with his 11-year-old daughter while the rest of his family stayed in Mapfura Village which is 20km away from the school.
He left work on February 7, 2018, with the intention of visiting his family.
However, he never got home as he was murdered along the way.
Since there was no communication between his daughter at school and the family in Mapfura Village, no one knew that something was amiss until his body was discovered a week later at St Mary’s Cemetery in Nyanga.
It was already in an advanced stage of decomposition.
He was 42 at the time of his death.
Gotora’ s family is yet to come to terms with his painful death.
His widow, Viola Matiringe, said she believes that her husband will seek vengeance and justice.
“The truth will come out. My husband was not an animal, yet they killed him like one. A murdered man always seeks vengeance and justice,” she said.
She said her husband was buried without several body parts.
It was revealed during a session at acting Chief Saunyama’s court that among the alleged assailants is teacher-cum-businessman, Phillip Makunura and his wife, Catherine Makunura; their bar tender, Kerina Katsatse; the deceased’s young brother, Morris Matimba; the deceased’s colleagues only identified as Benza and Nyamundanda; Trymore Chibaya; Lucky Nyanguru; Milton Sadomba and Aaron Nyakapeta.
Gotora’s spirit manifested on a family wife, Sekai Nyamudika, who shocked the crowd as she spoke in his voice and demanded his body parts back.
“They took my private parts, eyes, teeth, right hand, tongue, brain and some flesh from the skull. I want my private parts back or else I will haunt all of you for the rest of your lives,” the spirit thundered.
As acting Chief Saunyama presided over the issue, the spirit would continue shouting: “I want my private parts back.”
The spirit accused Matimba of informing the killers of his movements. He, however, denied doing this.
Gotora’s colleagues, Benza and Nyamundanda, were accused of not telling the police that they had boarded the same vehicle with him on the fateful day.
The duo, however, claimed that they told the police everything.
“I told the detectives that we were in the same car with him, but we parted ways when we arrived at the shops. That is the truth and for the spirit to accuse me of conniving with anyone is false. I told the police the whole truth,” said Benza.
Nyanguru was accused of killing Gotora, harvesting his body parts and giving them to the Makunuras for rituals to enhance their businesses.
The spirit narrated: “Kerina you actually put the bar’s radio volume on full blast while I was being murdered so that no one could hear my cries for help. Chibaya was the one who was supposed to kill me, but he developed cold feet; so Nyanguru grabbed the hammer from him and struck me on my head. I died instantly and Sadomba helped in carrying my body in a sack after they had finished harvesting my body parts. I will torment all of you if you dare deny what you did.”
In response, Nyanguru said he was not in the area when Gotora was killed.
“I was in Nyanga and only got to know about his death from the grapevine. I suspect that this is not a real spirit, but a stage managed event by those who believe that we killed Gotora,” said Nyanguru.
Catherine Makunura who was also representing her defaulting husband insisted that their hands were clean.
She refuted allegations that they hired people to kill Gotora.
Their bar tender, Katsatse, also concurred with her employer.
“I have worked for the Makunuras for a long time and I never served Gotora in that bar.
“These are all lies. Yes, my child is not feeling well, but it is not the avenging spirit that is causing the illness like what everyone believes. Every child gets ill from time to time, that is very normal,” she said.
During the same session, it was also alleged that Makunura had engaged a local traditional healer to conceal Gotora’s death.
The traditional healer, only identified as Sithole, testified that someone called Makunura visited his shrine to acquire a goblin to help escape the public glare soon after Gotora’s death.
“The man said his name was Makunura and that he was being accused of killing Gotora when he was innocent. He wanted me to help him silence the police and to stop people from pointing fingers at him. I did exactly that,” said Sithole.
He, however, said he did not know if Phillip Makunura was the Makunura who had consulted him at his shrine.
Acting Chief Saunyama had to rope in Zimbabwe National Healers Association (Zinatha) president, Mr George Kandiero, for assistance.
Mr Kandiero promised to send his best traditional healers from across the country to Saunyama area on March 12 to establish whether the accused persons were involved in Gotora’s murder.
“The situation has reached another level. This area is now known for harbouring murderers and I want to put a stop to that. You will pay for your sins if you are found guilty. If these people are cleared, then the ones manifesting will have to tell us where all this is coming from,” said acting Chief Saunyama as he adjourned the matter to March 12.
