The ManicaPost
Ray Bande and Liberty Dube
THE death of a 38-year-old well-known Mutare runner birthed different schools of thought about the cause, chief among them being the widely held belief that he succumbed to the injuries sustained when he allegedly clashed with a rival suitor.
Popularly known as “Musoja” in the eastern border city, Blessing Mawaraidzo breathed his last at his rented Bordervale house in Mutare last week on Tuesday.
Mawaraidzo’s main source of income was importing a wide range of goods from South Africa.
While the cause of his death was a subject of widespread speculation, police revealed this week that Mawaraidzo (38) succumbed to an Ischemic heart disease.
Ischemic heart disease refers to heart weakening caused by reduced blood flow to one’s heart.
Typically, this reduced blood flow is a result of coronary artery disease, a condition that occurs when your coronary arteries narrow.
Ischemic heart disease may also be called cardiac ischemia or ischemic cardiomyopathy. Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Norbert Muzondo confirmed Mawaraidzo’s death, saying he was seen lying lifeless in the lounge at his home by his wife.
“Mawaraidzo of Bordervale suffered a sudden death on June 6. Mawaraidzo was last seen alive by his wife, Joice Mawaraidzo, drinking a soft drink seated on the sofa the night before his death.
“He was later seen by Joice the following day lying lifeless on the floor in the sitting room.
“The matter was reported to the police who attended the scene. His body was ferried to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital for a post-mortem,” said Inspector Muzondo.
“We rule out foul play. His death is subject to natural causes. Because of the post-mortem results, we will refer investigations to the magistrate for his or her considerations,” he said.
However, public opinion has a different tale to tell. Sources close to the late Mawaraidzo said he was heavily beaten in Harare after he had clashed with a rival suitor when he had visited his girlfriend only identified as Rophea.
“What we heard first is that he clashed with Rophea’s boyfriend in Harare and he was heavily assaulted.
“He came back home that night from Harare without his phones and shoes. That is the same night he died,” said the source.
Contacted for comment, Rophea pledged to answer all questions after her meeting, but later did not pick up our calls. She also had not responded to our WhatsApp messages by the time of going to Press.
