The corpse of a nine-month-old boy disappeared from the grave three weeks after his burial on the banks of Matsungu River in Mutasa District, The Manica Post has learnt.
Clothes in which the baby was buried in – a white napkin, a
yellow pair of fleece trousers, a jacket, a green hat, a white baby blanket and
a white towel – were found neatly folded and placed near the baby’s desecrated
grave by his mother, Ms Martha Matembedza of Hamunakwadi Village.
Right next to baby Abraham Benza’s yawning grave was all
the soil that had been dug out of the grave, forcing the Mutasa community to
rule out the theory that wild animals or dogs could have exhumed the body from
the grave.
Sandy soil was also sprinkled at the area. The shocking
incident was, however, allegedly swept under the carpet by the baby’s father,
Mr Osward Benza and his Johanne Marange Apostolic church mates who reburied the
clothes in the same grave two days after the discovery.
Abraham died on August 9 at the church shrine in Mutasa
after a short illness.
The illness had also claimed his three-year-old sister a
fortnight before that.
The two children’s deaths were not registered.
Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant
Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka could neither confirm nor deny that a police report
had been made.
However, police in Mutasa confirmed that a report was made
and when they attended the scene, they observed that the grave had been
tampered with.
A report obtained by The Manica Post reads: “The deceased
was buried in a shallow grave on the Matsungo River bank. His clothes, a
blanket and a towel were at the scene partially covered with sandy soil. No
spores were observed at the scene and Abraham’s body could not be located.”
The traditional leadership in the area said it was yet to
come to terms with the shocking incident.
Village Head Hamunakwadi, Mr Edward Chakanyuka said
investigations into the matter were halted after the father said his church
would handle the matter.
“We reported the matter to the police and when the police
came, they dismissed claims that wild animals or dogs had exhumed and devoured
the corpse. No bones were found and a docket has since been opened.
“However, as a community we discovered footprints leading
to the child’s grave. We searched for the body, but nothing was recovered. The
father said he did not suspect any foul play and we were forced to stop
searching because of his attitude. We later gathered that he went to the grave
in the company of his church members and buried the clothes,” said Village Head
Hamunakwadi.
He said he suspected that the Benza siblings succumbed to
measles as their parents do not believe in seeking medical attention.
When The Manica Post visited the Benza homestead last week,
Mr Benza was not at home.
His phone was also not reachable.
However, his wife said there is more to the corpse’s
disappearance.
“My children died in unclear circumstances. They had
flu-like symptoms and both died within two days of having contracted the
disease. We do not seek medical attention because of our church doctrine.
“We took the ailing children to our church healer and we
got help. I know that it was not measles because Abraham had recently recovered
from measles when he got these flu-like symptoms that claimed his life.
“My husband says the matter has been concluded and that we
will not consult traditional healers or prophets from other churches over this
issue as we are not allowed to do that by our church.
“However, we did not stop the community from searching my
child’s remains. It is very painful that my two children died one after the
other now to learn that Abraham’s corpse disappeared from the grave is like
adding salt to my wound.
“I cannot sleep thinking about the whereabouts of my baby’s
corpse,” she said as grief overcame her.
Ms Matembedza ruled out suspicions that hyenas or dogs dug
the grave and consumed the corpse.
“The grave was only a metre deep, but what everyone
witnessed was not the work of wild animals. The clothes were all neatly folded
and placed next to the grave.
“No wild animal would have done that. It was only when the
police came the next day that we noticed that some of the clothes had some
holes. The soil was in one heap and I know that when a dog digs out something,
it scatters the soil everywhere. Someone took my son’s body,” she said.
Asked on why they did not seek medical attention for their
ailing children, Ms Matembedza said doing so is against their church’s
doctrine.
The deceased’s uncle, Mr Maxwell Benza said when Abraham
died, he was buried by church members.
“When the corpse disappeared, my brother came with his
church mates and re-buried the clothes. They did not consult other family
members over the issue.
“When l suggested that we consult prophets from other
churches, Osward vehemently refused. I am 78-years-old and I have never
witnessed such an incident. A lot of children were buried along the river but
the graves remain intact,” he said. Manica Post
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