MASVINGO – A widow from the Mushandike Resettlement Area, near Masvingo, has engaged a lawyer, alleging a plot by the Police to cover up the murder of her husband by 11 bodyguards purportedly employed by Chief Fortune Charumbira.
Tendai Chisoko, the widow of Taurayi Lovemore Takawira (38), suspects foul play and has instructed her legal team to pursue the matter vigorously through the courts.
Martin Mureri of Matutu and Mureri Legal Practitioners, representing Chisoko, penned a letter dated November 7, 2025, to the Officer-in-Charge of Law and Order in Masvingo. In the letter, Mureri demanded the release of DNA results pertaining to the deceased within seven days, or face legal action.
The saga began when Takawira went missing on September 30, 2022, in the Mushandike Resettlement area. His body was later discovered on November 2, 2022. However, a dispute arose regarding the identity of the body, leading to a protracted legal and familial battle.
Chisoko and her family are adamant that the body discovered in nearby bushes on November 2, 2022, is indeed that of her husband. They accuse the Police of colluding with the Charumbira family to conceal a murder. The family alleges that Chief Charumbira’s bodyguards abducted and assaulted Takawira before his disappearance.
Adding to the complexity of the case, the suspected bodyguards claim that Takawira is alive and well, having fled to South Africa after the alleged abduction. This claim is vehemently refuted by Chisoko and her family, who believe it is a deliberate attempt to obstruct justice.
The Police have seemingly supported the bodyguards’ version of events, even attempting to release the body for a pauper’s burial, a move that would effectively close the murder case against Chief Charumbira’s bodyguards, which is currently before the High Court in Masvingo.
The Police had initially declared that the body, found in a state of advanced decomposition, did not belong to Takawira, effectively attempting to close the murder case. However, the Takawira family successfully appealed to the High Court to prevent the pauper’s burial, insisting on proper identification.
The dispute stems from a boundary disagreement between Chief Bere and Chief Charumbira. It is alleged that Takawira was abducted in connection with this land dispute.
According to reports, the bodyguards allegedly attacked Takawira and two other village heads, Mike Wengedzai Matambanadzo and Luckson Sinamai (all under Chief Bere). The incident occurred while they were clearing a piece of land allocated to Sinamai by Chief Bere in village 17A, Mushandike Resettlement Area, Masvingo.
Sinamai and Matambanadzo managed to escape the attack, but Takawira, who was reportedly unwell, was left behind. He was not seen again until his decomposing body was discovered on November 2, 2022, by a man searching for his cattle. The matter was subsequently reported to the Police, leading to the arrest of the suspects.
In a desperate attempt to halt the pauper’s burial and establish the identity of the deceased, Chisoko and her family mobilised US$1,050 in 2024 to conduct DNA tests on the body. The tests were conducted by the 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 testing process.
However, despite the tests being conducted over a year and a half ago, the results have yet to be released to the family, fueling suspicions of a deliberate cover-up.
Mureri, the family’s lawyer, confirmed his involvement in the case, stating: “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.”
He further added, “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.”
Masvingo Mirror has obtained a copy of the letter written by Mureri, demanding the results within a seven-day timeframe.
The letter states: “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,” the letter continues.
In response to Mureri’s letter, the Police stated that the Officer in Charge CID Law and Order is still awaiting the DNA results from NUST.
The response, signed by Inspector Tshuma, Masvingo Provincial Legal Officer, and dated November 20, 2025, reads: “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.”
The family maintains their belief that the body belongs to Takawira, citing the positive identification of his phone and the clothes he was wearing on the day of his abduction.
Adding another layer of complexity to the case, it has emerged that one of the suspected bodyguards implicated in the murder had recently been released from prison after serving over 20 years for killing an MDC supporter. This revelation has further fuelled suspicions of a politically motivated cover-up.
The re-establishment of the Bere chieftainship, which had been abolished over 125 years ago, is believed to be at the heart of the wrangle between Chief Bere and Chief Charumbira.
The delay in releasing the DNA results, coupled with the alleged attempts by the Police to bury the body as a pauper, has raised serious questions about the integrity of the investigation and the potential for a miscarriage of justice. The case continues to unfold, with the family determined to uncover the truth and ensure that those responsible for Takawira’s death are brought to justice.
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