Former Chiredzi councillor arrested after 10-month search over child’s death
Former Chiredzi Rural District councillor Lovemore Muchono was arrested in Chipinge on Tuesday after 10 months on the run in connection with the rape and murder of 4-year-old Steadfast Makondo, an Early Childhood Development (ECD) pupil at Chiredzi Government Primary School.
Muchono, a former Ward 19 councillor for the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), was found at a relative’s homestead in Vheneka Village, under Chief Garahwa in Chipinge. Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department in Chiredzi acted on a tip-off that he was staying there, police said.
“Detectives received a tip-off that Lovemore was hiding at a relative’s place in Chipinge. They proceeded to the area and arrested him. He is expected to appear in court,” said Assistant Inspector Itayi Zivhave, acting Masvingo provincial police spokesperson.
Muchono was taken into custody and detained at Chiredzi Police Station. He was expected to appear in court on Thursday, 15 October. Police also rejected social media reports that he had handed himself in, saying he was arrested by detectives after they received information about his whereabouts.
The arrest ended a search that began after Steadfast disappeared on 27 January. She was an Early Childhood Development learner at Chiredzi Government Primary School. Muchono worked as her school transporter and was reportedly the last person seen with her.
Steadfast was reported missing after she failed to return from school. Her body was found the following day in a bushy area in Newtown, Chiredzi, under a marula tree. She had multiple bruises. The location was some distance from the school.
A report at the time said the school transporter went to take Steadfast home at around midday on Tuesday, 27 January, but did not find her at school.
At the time, Zimbabwe Republic Police national spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said officers were investigating the death. “Police in Chiredzi are investigating circumstances surrounding a case of murder in which an ECD learner, Steadfast Makondo (4) was found dead with multiple bruises in Newton Chiredzi. The body was found under a marula tree,” he said.
Post-mortem findings later indicated that Steadfast had been raped before she was killed, according to information released during the police investigation. The case was treated as murder.
The events following her disappearance drew close attention in Chiredzi. Muchono initially reported that the child was missing and took part in searches for her. He also attended her funeral on 2 February. He then disappeared, prompting a police search that lasted until his arrest in Chipinge.
A handwritten note found in his car contained a separate account of what had happened. In it, Muchono claimed he had forgotten to drop Steadfast at school and had left her inside his vehicle with the windows closed while he went to work. He said he realised at lunchtime that she was still there, and claimed he later took her body to Chitsanga Hill to hide it. The post-mortem findings indicated that she had been sexually assaulted before her death.
The family told local reporters they were struggling to come to terms with their daughter’s death and referred questions about the case to police. Residents who spoke at the time expressed grief and raised concerns about school security and supervision.
The case also led to public concern about security at the school. In January, Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers Association chairperson Jonathan Shonhiwa called for tighter controls at the premises.
“This is very sorrowful and painful, the head should tighten security at the school and also use one gate,” Shonhiwa said.
He also called for the school’s responsible authority to examine how extra lessons were being conducted, saying teachers’ attention to other pupils needed to be considered. The comments came as the community mourned Steadfast and sought answers about how she had gone missing.
The case has unfolded alongside wider concern about children’s journeys to and from school. On 10 June, 7 pupils were killed when a minibus carrying schoolchildren caught fire in Gweru. Police said 24 children were on board and that an initial examination suggested a jerry can of petrol in the vehicle may have fuelled the blaze. That was a separate incident, involving a vehicle fire rather than the circumstances under investigation in Chiredzi, but it brought renewed attention to the risks children can face while travelling to school.
In Chiredzi, the arrest came on the same day the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission announced that Ward 19 had become vacant by operation of law. The vacancy followed Muchono’s failure to attend 3 consecutive ordinary council meetings without permission. The commission’s notice set 28 October for nomination court and 28 November for a by-election, if the poll is contested.
The nomination court is scheduled to sit at the offices of Chiredzi RDC’s chief executive officer from 10am to 4pm, according to the commission’s notice.
Muchono remained in custody at Chiredzi Police Station ahead of his expected court appearance.