The suspects, who are still at large, buried the deceased’s
body in a shallow grave before they planted aloe vera on it in a bid to conceal
evidence. The vehicle he was driving is yet to be recovered.
The now deceased, Thembinkosi Sishoma of Bulawayo’s Pumula
South suburb, went missing on December 1. Police and his relatives had since
then been making frantic efforts to locate him until Sunday when his mutilated
decomposing body was discovered buried in a shallow grave near Mananda Dam
along Solusi road.
Thembinkosi was a first-year student studying Environmental
Science at Nust. Thembinkosi’s father, Mr Enos Sishoma (left) and mourners
gathered at the family’s home in Pumula South, Bulawayo.
A Chronicle news crew yesterday visited the deceased
parents’ home in Pumula South where mourners are gathered. The family members
and neighbours said they were shocked by Thembinkosi’s murder.
Thembinkosi’s father, Mr Enock Sishoma said his son who
will be buried today, was driving a tinted blue Honda Fit registration number
AEE 4969.
He said the deceased was hired by three men to ferry their
goods to Roseburn near Solusi on December 1.
“On December 1 shortly after 4PM, my son was driving a
friend’s car, a blue Honda Fit, along Ntemba Road in Pumula East when he was
stopped by three men. Upon stopping, the trio purported to be omalayitsha whose
car had developed a mechanical fault. They approached him under the guise that
they wanted him to ferry their goods to Roseburn along Solusi Road,” said Mr
Sishoma as he struggled to hold back tears.
He said Thembinkosi was travelling with his two friends
when he met the three men. “The three men asked my son to drop off his friends,
saying they couldn’t all fit in the car and he complied before they proceeded
to their destination. He didn’t return on that particular day and we got
worried since there was no communication and his phone was not getting through
until we decided to go to Roseburn to look for him,” he said.
Mr Sishoma said they then reported the matter to the
police. “We continued searching for a number of days after we got information
that the car was spotted at Scott Business Centre along Solusi road. Locals
also indicated to us that they saw the car driving past the business centre at
high speed,” he said.
Mr Sishoma said they continued with the search and went as
far as Tshefunye in Tsholotsho.
“When we got to Tshefunye, locals said they had spotted the
car fuelling and that they got suspicious when the occupants were not
interested in opening the tinted windows of the car. They told us that the car
proceeded to Tsholotsho centre about 50km from Tshefunye,” he said.
Mr Sishoman said they went to Tsholotsho four times but
could not find the car or their son.
“On Sunday, December 13 that is when we got a call from
Figtree police asking us to come to Manada Dam along Solusi road, where a body
had been discovered. We don’t know whether they killed him there or they just
buried him there,” he said. Mr Sishoma said his son was buried in a shallow
grave and covered with some aloe vera plants. He said the body was in a
decomposition state and had multiple stab wounds.
Mr Sishoma said the suspects stole US$250 which his son
intended to use to buy a laptop for use at Nust.
Thembinkosi’s friend Mr Clifford Pfirwe with whom they used
to sell fuel together, said he last saw the deceased on December 1.
“Since universities were closed, Thembinkosi was not going
to school. We were now in the business of selling fuel until he got a part time
job of driving a Honda Fit. On December 1 at around 4PM, I got information from
his other friends that he had been hired by three men to Roseburn but never
returned,” he said.
Matabeleland South acting police spokesperson Inspector
Loveness Mangena confirmed the incident, saying investigations were underway.
She said the body was discovered by a local herdboy who
then alerted police. “We suspect the body was dug up by wild animals and
dragged for a few metres from the shallow grave,” said Insp Mangena.
The vehicle has not been recovered. Chronicle
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