Farai Kuvirimirwa Court Reporter
TWO suspected drug pushers were arrested for allegedly trying to steal a corpse stashed with over a kilogramme of heroin worth US$112 000 in Harare last week. Tanzanian national Mlawa Jumanne Ndumbogane (33) of number 119 Scedia Street in Pretoria, South Africa, and Mufungo Ngara

(39) of Msiwa Village under Chief Mberengwa reportedly tried to steal the body of Tanzanian Ally Omari Mpili.
Mpili reportedly died with 1,4kg of heroin in his stomach while in transit to South Africa on October 19.

Ndumbogane and Ngara were not formally charged for unlawfully dealing in dangerous drugs when they appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Olivia Mariga yesterday.

Mrs Mariga denied the pair bail and remanded them in custody to November 12.
Prosecutor Mr Tungamirai Chakurira told the court that Ndumbogane is unemployed and resides in South Africa while Ngara is self-employed as an unregistered transporter in the same country.

It is alleged that on October 19, the suspected drug mule Mpili arrived at Roadport bus terminus in Harare from Tanzania, but failed to proceed to South Africa, his intended destination on the same day.
Mpili, it is alleged, sought accommodation and slept in Braeside, Harare, where he died the same night.

The following day, the court heard, detectives got information that Mpili had swallowed drugs prior to his departure from Tanzania.
Mr Chakurira alleged that the drugs, which burst in his stomach, could have caused Mpili’s death.
Officers from Braeside Police Station took Mpili’s body to a city funeral parlour for safekeeping while awaiting post-mortem to determine the cause of death.

Mr Chakurira said on October 24, Ndumbogane and Ngara proceeded to the funeral parlour where they claimed Mpili’s body.
The pair was arrested before taking the body after police were tipped off that the two were claiming a body left by the police.

A post-mortem done on October 25 at Parirenyatwa Hospital by a Government pathologist led to the recovery of creamish ampoules (small sealed capsules) in the deceased’s intestines, the court heard.

The ampoules tested positive for heroin.
Mr Chakurira said the pair had full knowledge of the drugs and had no right to attempt transporting dangerous drugs to South Africa through Zimbabwe.