ONE of the families of five people who were axed to death in
Binga last Friday has demanded 10 head of cattle or they will dump the bodies
at the killer’s family homestead.
The family has said failure to deliver the livestock will
mark the end of their relationship with their in-laws, whose son Christopher
Gotore (20) allegedly committed the gory killings.
Gotore allegedly killed Mr Admire Nyangarai, his wife Ms
Bibeat Munsaka (23) and the couple’s one-year-old baby Loice Compassion
Nyangarai, who was axed while on her mother’s back.
Others are Ms Chiravigwa Shumba, from Makope Village under
Chief Sayi in Gokwe and seven-year-old Shan Sibanda.
Gotore allegedly torched a bedroom hut before butchering a
cow and a calf belonging to his brother-in-law, Shan’s father Mr Bruce Sibanda
in whose homestead he stayed.
Mr Sibanda’s father Mr Wilson Toindepi Sibanda is demanding
a herd of 10 cattle before he buries his sister Ms Shumba and grandson Shan.
“Killing my sister and grandson marked the end of our
relations. We want them to pay 10 cows or else we won’t bury her. If they don’t
pay, we will dump their bodies at their homestead,” he said.
Mr Sibanda told our news crew that Gotore appeared
disoriented when he was arrested after showing up at a funeral wake for his
victims, asking for matches to light a fire to roasting mealies.
He said Gotore was still carrying the blood-stained murder
weapon and allegedly said he thought he was killing pigs.
He reportedly later claimed he acted in self-defence after
his aunt threatened to kill him.
Mr Wilson Toindepi Sibanda who is demanding a herd of 10
cattle before he buries his sister and grandson
Mr Sibanda said on the day, Gotore suddenly turned violent
and approached them with an axe in his hand.
“He came straight to us and I thought he intended to put
the axe down but he immediately struck my aunt once on the collarbone and she
collapsed,” he said.
Mr Sibanda said he and his wife fled in different
directions as Gotore charged at them. He said he went to Nyangarai’s homestead
intending to seek help but found a hut on fire.
When he returned with neighbours to his homestead, his aunt
was already dead.
Out of fear, Mr Sibanda and other villagers covered the
bodies and went to sleep at a nearby neighbourhood watch committee member’s
homestead.
They only realised in the morning that Nyangarai’s wife and
child had been killed as their bodies were in a maize field.
Gotore allegedly disappeared after committing the heinous
crimes and later returned to the same homestead and mourners who had gathered
scurried for cover in the maize field.
He allegedly charged at armed police officers who were at
the homestead threatening to axe them.
The officers allegedly shot him on the leg to subdue him
before arresting him. “He still had the bloodstained axe and when he returned
home in the evening, he wanted some matches to make fire so he could roast some
mealies. When we asked him why he did that, he said our Nyangarai and aunt had
threatened to kill him. His speech was incoherent, at some point he said he
thought he was killing pigs,” said Mr Sibanda.
He said Gotore neither drank beer nor abused drugs. A Grade
Seven school dropout, Gotore relocated to Lusulu in 2017 after working at
Sacred Heart Mission in Esigodini as a general hand.
Gotore’s brother Elvis said the accused was not a violent
person.
He said they allowed him to relocate to stay with his
sister as he didn’t show signs of causing trouble but wanted to help his
in-laws in the fields.
One of his aunts, Mrs Siphilisiwe Tshuma said Gotore could
have been influenced by evil spirits.
Munsaka and her baby will be buried at her parents’
homestead in Mswazi in Lusulu, while Shan will be buried at his parents’
homestead.
Shumba will be buried in Gokwe once the two families settle
the dispute. All the five bodies were expected in Lusulu yesterday evening. Chronicle
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