THERE is widespread alarm in the suburb of Sizinda in Bulawayo following the alleged killing of a 48-year-old mentally challenged man, Vasco Akamunwa, whose body was found near Maphisa Primary School with stab wounds.
The killing of Akamunwa early this month, who was described
by residents as an easygoing man who shunned violence, led to fears that there
were criminals targeting mentally challenged members of the community for
ritual purposes, as two more have allegedly died in the area.
Speaking to Sunday News, the deceased’s sister, Ms Beauty
Akamunwa said she was shocked when she was told that her brother had died after
being hit by a car on the morning of 5 May.
“I was surprised just like everybody else when I was told
that my brother’s body had been discovered. I was told that he had been hit by
a car because he was discovered on the side of the road,” she said.
Ms Akamunwa said on arrival at the scene, they began to
suspect that he had not been hit by a car but had been killed. A trail of blood
seemed to suggest that he had been bleeding for a while before he eventually
fell at the place where his body was found.
“There was a trail of blood and that indicated to us that
he had been injured some distance away from where his body had been found.
There was so much blood, we were convinced that there was no way he had been
hit by a car,” she said.
Ms Akamunwa said an autopsy revealed that her brother had
indeed been stabbed. “We were told at United Bulawayo Hospitals that he had
been stabbed and that it was not a car accident.
We suspect this other man from the community because on the
day we discovered my brother’s body, he could be heard arguing with his friends
who were castigating him and shouting that he should never have stabbed Vasco.
“Since that time, he has not stayed where he used to live
and there have been no arrests in connection with my brother’s murder,” she
said. Although Ms Akamunwa said that there appeared to be no parts mutilated
from her brother’s body, it did little to allay the fears of a community that
believes it has ritual killers in its midst.
One resident who spoke to Sunday News on condition of
anonymity, said this was the third murder of its nature in the community within
the last two years.
“This has been happening for a while now. We have people
that have been attacking people with mental challenges for the past two years.
There was a boy who was mentally challenged and his body was found in Umguza
with body parts missing.
“There was another guy who was also mentally challenged who
was discovered, right before the Covid-19 pandemic started, with his tongue
missing. So, Vasco was of a similar state and this is what is worrying people
in the community,” he said.
Another resident who spoke to Sunday News said they did not
understand why Akamunwa’s life would come to such a violent end for anything
but ritual purposes.
“We have seen these things before here and it’s worrying.
He was an easy going guy and for anyone to take his life like that again raises
our suspicion.” When asked about the incident Bulawayo police could not
immediately shed light on the suspected murder of Akamunwa, promising to look
for further information on the case. Sunday News
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