Several people linked to the 2024 killing of a Domborutinhira man were taken into police custody after a dramatic hearing at Chief Mutasa’s community court, where a woman claiming to channel the dead man’s spirit named those she said had taken part in his murder and the removal of his body parts.
Luckmore Dziire, who was mentally challenged, was found dead on October 2, 2024, with multiple stab wounds. His family said his heart, private parts, toes, toenails and blood were missing from the body. More than a year after the killing, the case has returned to the centre of public attention as relatives press for answers beyond the conviction already secured against one man.
Tendai Alfonso, one of the people named during the hearing, is serving a prison sentence after being convicted by the Mutare High Court for Luckmore’s murder. The family says Alfonso indicated during his trial that he had not acted alone, prompting relatives to seek a fuller account of what happened at the shopping centre in Domborutinhira.
The matter was taken before Chief Mutasa by Luckmore’s brother, Dzidzai Dziire. He told the court that the family had initially been informed that Luckmore was drunk and lying on the verandah of a bottle store. When he reached the scene, however, he said he found a much more disturbing picture.
“On October 2, 2024, my young brother, Luckmore, was murdered in Domborutinhira. I received a report that he was drunk and lying on the verandah of a bottle store. However, when I arrived at the scene, I found that he had been brutally attacked. He had cuts all over his body and there was blood everywhere. The matter was reported to the police,” said Dziire.
Fresh questions arose in February 2026 after the death of Dziire’s child, Tavonga, in a drowning incident. Dziire said that, on the same day, a person began claiming to manifest the spirit of Luckmore. According to the family, the person repeatedly mentioned names of people allegedly involved in the earlier killing.
“On the same day that my child died, someone began manifesting my brother’s spirit. Since then, the person has repeatedly mentioned names of individuals allegedly involved in my brother’s death,” he said.
The proceedings took an unusual turn when a young woman dressed in male attire claimed to be possessed by Luckmore’s spirit. Speaking as the deceased, she described what she said had happened before and after the attack.
The account presented at the hearing was that Luckmore had gone to a local shop, where he was given sadza and meat. He was then allegedly served a soft drink and beer that had been mixed with an unknown substance. After becoming drowsy, he reportedly returned to the shop and fell asleep on a bench.
“Later that night, several people surrounded me. Tendai Alfonso stabbed me in the neck and chest before others joined in mutilating my body,” the purported spirit said.
The woman further alleged that Luckmore’s blood was drained and that his heart, toenails, toes and private parts were removed for use in ritual practices. She also claimed that, after the attack, the body was carried back to the shopping centre and left on the verandah, where it was later discovered.
The names raised during the proceedings included Margaret Marume, Jeremiah Mupunga, Kenny Chirumhanzu, Nyasha Mudeme, Tendai Alfonso and Joseph Alfonso. Two other men were identified only as Christopher and Mangandaire. Another person, identified as Shupikai, denied an allegation that he had given Luckmore beer on the night of the killing.
Some witnesses told the court that they had seen a trail of blood leading towards the shop where part of the alleged attack was said to have taken place. The detail added to the family’s concern that the killing may have involved more people than the person already convicted.
Marume acknowledged that Luckmore had been at the shop on the day he died, but denied knowing anything about the murder. She said food had been prepared for customers and that Luckmore had approached Joseph while he was eating.
“We had prepared sadza for customers at the shop where I work. Luckmore came and asked Joseph, who was eating at the time, for some food. He was given food, ate and left,” she said.
Marume said she only heard about the death later that night.
“I received a call informing me that someone had been found dead on the verandah. I told the caller that I did not want to receive such calls at night,” she said.
The Dziire family also raised concerns over claims that money may have changed hands in an attempt to secure Alfonso’s release from prison. Relatives said the allegation should be investigated alongside the wider questions surrounding the murder and the possibility of additional participants.
“Alfonso told the court during his trial that he had not acted alone. We want the full truth about what happened to our brother and whether other people were involved,” said Jenny Dziire.
“We suspect there may have been interference and we want all these allegations to be properly investigated,” she said.
Chief Mutasa referred the allegations to the police for further investigation. Police officers who attended the proceedings then took the people implicated in the hearing into custody for questioning. The arrests marked the first major development reported by the family since Alfonso’s conviction and shifted the focus towards whether investigators will be able to establish the role, if any, of those named at the traditional court.
The case has also revived concern about ritual-motivated violence in Zimbabwe. In 2020, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission warned of an alarming frequency of ritual killings involving children and young people. It said such attacks were believed to be linked to the pursuit of political, economic or physical power and called for stronger protection of the right to life and more effective action by law-enforcement agencies. The commission referred at the time to the killing of Tapiwa Makore in Murewa, a case that had already drawn national attention because of allegations that body parts were removed.
The issue has not been confined to Zimbabwe. In 2025, a police operation in Waterloo, Sierra Leone, led to the arrest of three men after investigators found material they said was connected to alleged ritual practices and traditional weapons. The arrests followed an investigation into claims that human body parts were being sourced for clients seeking so-called magical charms. The accused denied the charges and were released on bail while inquiries continued.
In cases involving missing body parts, families often face a second struggle after the loss itself: establishing what happened, identifying everyone involved and securing a complete investigation. For the Dziire family, that search has continued from the scene where Luckmore was found bleeding on a shopping-centre verandah to the courtroom where one accused man was convicted, and now to Chief Mutasa’s court, where new names have been placed before police.
The family wants the investigation to go beyond the conviction already recorded. They are asking police to examine the reported blood trail, the alleged poisoning, the claims about the removal of body parts and the allegation that money was offered to influence Alfonso’s release. The people named during the hearing are now in police custody for questioning as authorities work to establish what happened to Luckmore Dziire on the night he died.