According to
sources, Mr Madzikatire had, before the tragedy, been posting messages about
death and suicide on his social media platforms.
Mr Madzikatire,
who owned butcheries at KoChigumira Leisure Centre in Luveve and in Pumula
North suburb, was found with a gunshot wound to his head outside his
girlfriend’s house.
Bulawayo
provincial spokesperson Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele confirmed the
incident, saying investigations were underway.
“Police confirm
the death of John Tafara Madzikatire who was found with a gunshot wound in the
head. Police are treating the case as suicide and investigations are underway,”
she said.
According to
people close to Mr Madzikatire, two days before his death, he posted a
troubling message on his WhatsApp status: “If I leave this world u (you) will
not say I am a coward, you better call me a coward, and I have no choice.”
A friend of Mr
Madzikatire, who declined to be named, said although the message appeared to
hint at suicidal thoughts, it was not taken seriously.
“Sometimes
people post messages that make it appear as if they are suicidal, but we didn’t
take it seriously. We don’t really know what happened, whether it was suicide
or something else, but his WhatsApp messages were disturbing,” the friend said.
Workers at
Samaz Butchery, one of Mr Madzikatire’s businesses, recalled seeing their boss
on Saturday around 5pm when he delivered meat to the Luveve outlet in his black
Mercedes Benz.
He was
accompanied by a young woman who stayed behind in the car while he unloaded the
meat.
“We were
alerted by one of his friends that he had shot himself outside the woman’s
house in Cowdray Park. We are still in disbelief that the boss killed himself.
The butcheries will remain closed until we hear from the family,” said an
employee, who requested to remain anonymous.
The workers
said soon after receiving the news about their boss’ death, they quickly hired
a Honda Fit vehicle and rushed to the scene, where they found police already
present. The late businessman’s vehicle was later parked outside the Luveve
butchery after police released it to the family.
Mr Madzikatire is believed to have been with his girlfriend when he allegedly shot himself. The girlfriend was questioned by police and later released.
Police sources
said large sums of money were found at the scene of the shooting.
The cause of Mr
Madzikatire’s death is still under investigations but the concerning social
media posts have added to the mystery. Chronicle
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