Police are searching for a 44-year-old Chitungwiza mechanic accused of killing his 72-year-old mother after a domestic dispute, as neighbours and workmates describe a man whose recent behaviour had become increasingly troubling.
Bob Nobert Luwaca, known locally as Bobby and by the nickname Vonbarche, is wanted in connection with the death of Rosemary Luwaca at their home in Chitungwiza on Thursday, November 5. Police say he struck her twice on the head with a six-pound hammer before fleeing. The weapon believed to have been used was recovered at the scene.
The killing has left residents struggling to reconcile the allegations with their memories of a quiet mechanic who had worked around Unit L for years. They say his conduct had changed in the days before his mother’s death, with colleagues recalling talk of witchcraft and reports that he had begun drinking illicit alcohol.
A neighbour, Nomsa Gwengo, who said she had known Luwaca for years, described him as someone who had never seemed violent.
“I have been his neighbour since 2009. Bobby never showed any violent traits. We are shocked by the incident,” she said.
Luwaca earned a living repairing vehicles and selling second-hand vehicle fasteners at the Unit L market. Friends and colleagues described him as reserved and hardworking, someone who kept to his work and did not draw attention to himself.
Takawira Gunha, a close friend and fellow worker, said Luwaca had begun behaving unusually shortly before the incident. He said his friend spoke about being troubled by goblins and believed someone was bewitching him. Gunha recalled that Luwaca had talked about killing the person he blamed.
Patience Dinembira, a colleague, also remembered him as calm before the change she observed. She said he had made disturbing remarks at work about wanting to kill someone he believed was responsible for bewitching him.
“We never expected this from Bobby. He used to be a very calm person. We used to work well together. However, he started abusing drugs recently. I think that’s what led to this. In the past few days, he was saying he wanted to kill someone who was bewitching him. Then we woke up to his mother’s murder, allegedly perpetrated by him,” she said.
Her account reflects what some colleagues say they noticed in the days before the killing. Another long-time acquaintance, Kennedy Chinyemba, said Luwaca had recently been drinking illicit alcohol but rejected claims that he was using harder drugs. People who knew him have therefore described different concerns, while agreeing that his behaviour had changed.
The accounts of that change have sharpened attention on the disturbing words witnesses say he used. In a community where beliefs about witchcraft are part of the language people may use to explain misfortune, Luwaca’s reported claims that he was being targeted became especially alarming to those around him when they were followed by threats.
A neighbour’s account places the alleged attack after Luwaca had been seen drinking at the Unit L Shopping Centre with a friend. The neighbour said he returned home, found his mother asleep in her bedroom, woke her and began shouting at her, accusing her of bewitching him. Police have described the case as following a domestic dispute and say the hammer was recovered at the scene.
After the attack, Luwaca allegedly went back towards the Unit L business area. A neighbour said he approached his friend Munyaradzi Chakaodza and told him: “I have killed my mother.” The neighbour said Chakaodza then went to the house and found Rosemary dead in her bedroom.
That reported encounter was followed by Luwaca’s disappearance. Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the suspect had fled after the offence and appealed to anyone with information to contact their nearest police station.
“The suspect fled from the scene after committing the offence,” he said.
The search continued after Luwaca made contact with relatives the following morning. He reportedly used his mother’s mobile phone to call his brother and ask for US$50 to be sent through EcoCash. Family members later said he had continued to call some of them, although they had not been able to establish where he was.
His relatives also mounted their own search. Uncle Marshall Muzembe said family members had followed a lead to Domboshava and nearly caught up with Luwaca near Glen Forest before losing sight of him. He said they had hoped he would be found before Rosemary’s burial so that he could attend her final farewell. The family said he was still using his mother’s phone and hoped police could trace it.
Rosemary was buried at Zororo Memorial Park on Sunday, November 8. Family members, friends and relatives gathered to say goodbye to the 72-year-old while her son remained at large. She was Luwaca’s mother and he was her third-born child. Relatives said his disappearance had left them struggling to understand what led to her death.
Her nephew, Ignatius Chihota, said the family was still searching for answers.
“As a family, we really do not know what could have led to this. Bobby lived with his mother, and we are still struggling to understand what drove him to do such a thing. We hope he will be found so that we can get answers,” he said.
Rosemary’s sister, Tanatswa Mhishi, said she believed substance abuse might have been involved, echoing concerns raised by some of Luwaca’s workmates.
“I strongly believe this could be a case of drug and substance abuse. We are deeply hurt because things should never have ended this way. Drugs are really destructive,” she said.
Cousin Colleta Muzembe said some members of the family had received calls from Luwaca, but had not managed to locate him.
“Bobby has occasionally been getting in touch with some relatives. He has reached out to a few people, but we have not yet managed to locate him,” she said.
Marshall Muzembe said relatives wanted Luwaca found, both to help establish what happened and to bring the search to an end. Recalling their attempt to find him before the burial, he said:
“Yesterday, we managed to track him to Domboshava, where he was reportedly seen. We almost caught up with him at Glen Forest, but unfortunately, we missed him. As his uncles, we had even pleaded with his late mother to forgive him and help us find him before her burial, so that he could at least witness her final farewell. We desperately want him to be found. He is still using his mother’s phone, and we hope the police will be able to track him down and arrest him,” he said.
Police have urged anyone who may have seen Luwaca, or who has information that could help locate him, to report it to the nearest police station.
For those who worked alongside Luwaca, the memories of his ordinary routines remain difficult to set beside the threats they say they heard. They recall a mechanic who spent much of his time at the market, repairing vehicles, trading fasteners and working among familiar faces. Dinembira said colleagues had worked well with him and had not expected the violence now at the centre of the police search.
Gwengo’s words captured the disbelief among neighbours who said they had seen no violent behaviour from him over the years. Their recollections now sit alongside the reported warnings from his workmates: that, in the days before Rosemary’s death, he had spoken of being bewitched and of wanting to kill someone.
Rosemary is now laid to rest, but the search for her son continues. The six-pound hammer identified in the police account was recovered at the scene. Investigators are seeking information that could lead to Luwaca’s arrest as family members, neighbours and colleagues try to make sense of a sudden and devastating loss.