Martin Mureri
of Matutu and Mureri Legal Practitioners wrote a letter on November 7, 2025 to
Officer-in-Charge Law and Order Masvingo and gave him seven days to release DNA
results of the deceased or face legal action.
The body of
Taurayi Lovemore Takawira (38) who was Tendai Chisoko’s husband is said to be
at Masvingo Provincial Hospital Mortuary for the last three years because of a
dispute over the actual identity. Suspected Chief Charumbira bodyguards claim
that Takawira who they allegedly abducted and assaulted before he disappeared
in September 2022, ran away to South Africa and is alive and living there.
Takawira was
allegedly abducted over a boundary dispute between Chief Bere and Chief
Charumbira.
Chisoko and her
family insists that the body which was found in nearby bushes on November 2,
2022 belongs to her husband and accuse Police of acting in cohorts with the
Charumbiras to cover up a murder case. Police support Chief Charumbira
bodyguards’ position and at one time allegedly attempted to release the body
for pauper’s burial.
Police tried to
close the case of murder after it declared that the body found in a state of
advanced decomposition did not belong to Takawira. The Takawira family had to
appeal to the High Court to stop the pauper’s burial. Disposal of the body
without positive identification would expunge the murder case against Chief
Charumbira’s bodyguards which is before the High Court in Masvingo.
In 2024, the
poor widow and her family mobilised US$1 050 and demanded DNA tests for the
body in a bid to stop Police from going ahead with the pauper’s burial. The
tests were carried out by Police through the National University of Science and
Technology (NUST) on March 24, 2024. Family members including the deceased’s
brothers participated in the DNA tests but the results have for more than a
year-and-half now not been released to the family.
Mureri
confirmed to Masvingo Mirror that he was
engaged by the family to pursue the case.
“I was
instructed by the late Taurayi Takawira’s relatives. They told me that he went
missing on September 30, 2022 in Mushandike Resettlement area. His body was
found on November 2, the same year. It appeared it was burnt and therefore
difficult to identify. There are however, features that pointed that it was
him. They disputed with Police until DNA samples were taken from the deceased
and his siblings and verified at NUST. The samples were taken to NUST in 2024
up to now they are not yet out.
“They family
instructed me to write a letter to Police which I addressed to the Officer in
Charge, Law and Order. Police responded notifying me that the results are not
yet out. I am going to write to them enquiring why it is taking long to release
the results,” said Mureri.
Masvingo Mirror
is in possession of the letter written by Mureri demanding the results within 7
days.
“We were
instructed by the family of the late Taurai Takawira to demand his DNA results
from your good office. They told us that the now late Takawira went missing on
September 30, 2022 in the Mushandike Resettlement area. His body was then found
on November 2, 2022. However, a dispute arose as to whether the body belongs to
Takawira or not. This led to his samples and that of his siblings being taken
to NUST for DNA tests.
“The samples
were taken on March 24, last year to NUST for examinations by your office but
to date the results are not yet out. They have further instructed us to demand
as we hereby do that you give them the DNA results through your office within 7
days of this letter failure which we have further instructions to proceed with
legal action without giving you another notice and you will pay the costs of
the process,” reads the letter.
Police in their
response to the letter said the Officer in Charge CID Law and Order is still
waiting for DNA results from NUST.
“The last
engagement with NUST officials in August 2025 indicated that the results were
not yet available. Once the results are received, you will be duly informed,”
reads the response signed by Inspector Tshuma, Masvingo Provincial Legal
Officer dated November 20, 2025.
Some of the reasons why the family believes that the body
belongs to Takawira is that they positively identified his phone which was with
the body and the clothes he was wearing on the day that he was abducted.
The family
blocked Police from giving Takawira’s suspected corpse a pauper’s burial after
appealing to the High Court for DNA tests.
The wrangle between Chief Bere and Chief
Charumbira arose following the re-establishment of Bere chieftainship abolished
over 125 years ago.
The
bodyguards allegedly attacked Takawira and two other village heads, Mike
Wengedzai Matambanadzo and Luckson Sinamai (all under Chief Bere) who were
clearing a piece of land allocated to Sinamai by Chief Bere at village 17A
Mushandike Resettlement Area, Masvingo.
Sinamai and
Matambanadzo escaped, leaving Takawira who was not feeling well behind.
Takawira was not seen again until November 2, 2022 when his decomposing body
was discovered by a man looking for his cattle. The matter was reported to
Police leading to the arrest of the suspects.
One of the
suspected bodyguards implicated in the murder had just been released from
prison after serving more than 20 years for killing an MDC supporter. Masvinngo
Mirror
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