Nomsa Sibanda, the mother of the late Princess Shoko, is appealing for police intervention to bring closure to a harrowing two-year ordeal. Her four-year-old daughter, Princess, was allegedly murdered by her sister, Alista Sibanda, and Alista’s husband, John Zvivi. The drawn-out process has left Nomsa unable to bury her child, compounding her grief with extraordinary pain.
Princess was allegedly murdered by the couple two years ago, and their subsequent flight to South Africa only prolonged the family’s agony. The couple were eventually extradited in March of this year, but the ordeal is far from over.
Given the state in which Princess’ body was found – in a stream along the Harare/Bulawayo highway – the fact that she remains unburied two years later is a haunting reality for her family.
In a letter dated June 30, Nomsa Sibanda, through her lawyers, Hamunakwadi and Nyandoro Law Chambers, has formally requested police assistance to facilitate a second DNA test and obtain a burial order, allowing her to finally lay her child to rest.
The request comes amid swirling reports on social media that the initial DNA tests conducted in 2023 failed to match Nomsa to her daughter. These reports have added another layer of distress to an already tragic situation.
Nomsa maintains that she “positively identified the body of her daughter” when it was discovered in the stream. However, “the pathologist’s findings at the material time were inconclusive as toxicology results were still pending.” This led to the order for a DNA test to confirm the maternity of the corpse.
According to the lawyers’ letter, “the said DNA test samples were forwarded to the National University of Science and Technology Applied Genetic Testing Centre for processing in 2023.” However, “for reasons unknown to our client, the DNA test results have not been officially available to our client despite having fully paid.”
The lawyers further stated, “We are, however, aware through social media that the results that have since been published on various social media platforms are not Princess Shoko’s but, instead, belong to an unidentified male child.”
The lawyers believe that “the anomaly could be a genuine human error or administrative mistake that can be easily corrected by our client taking another DNA test against the body that she has positively identified at all material times and which is still being kept at the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals mortuary.”
The situation has become a matter of significant public concern, given the unusual timeframes involved. “Since August 2023, the body of our client’s daughter has been indefinitely kept at the mortuary at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals. As it stands there is no guarantee that the body of Princess Shoko is going to be released in the nearest foreseeable future.”
The lawyers have urged the police to intervene, requesting:
- “The facilitation of expedited DNA re-test within a period not exceeding seven days.”
- “Prompt assistance and facilitation of burial arrangements of the remains of Princess Shoko.”
“This we believe is in the best interest of transparency and accountability,” the lawyers wrote. “We are also of the view that your immediate facilitation of the above requests will give finality to the mother and grant closure to a family that has endured a difficult and traumatising period.”
Nomsa has stated that she received no official communication regarding the DNA results, learning of the mismatch only through social media.
The tragic sequence of events began in April 2023, when Princess and her six-year-old sister, Susan Mandaza, were left in the care of their aunt (Alista) and her husband (John) in Zvimba. The children’s mother, Nomsa, is Alista’s sister.
The State alleges that the couple began to abuse the two children, subjecting them to beatings and denying them food. In July 2023, Princess succumbed to her injuries and died on July 23, 2023.
A bid to conceal their crime saw Alista and John allegedly placing Princess’ corpse in a sack and shoving it into the boot of a Honda Fit vehicle. They then drove to Kuwadzana Extension, where they dumped the body in a stream.
Alista and John later informed Nomsa of her daughter’s death but failed to provide her with a satisfactory explanation. Upon her return to Zimbabwe on August 1, 2023, Nomsa reported a missing person’s case at ZRP Dzivarasekwa. The very next day, the slain girl’s body was found in a stream in Dzivarasekwa.
As the legal proceedings continue, Nomsa Sibanda’s plea for police intervention underscores the desperate need for closure and the right to bury her daughter with dignity.
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