The Rhodesia Herald, 

January 19, 1972 

Sentence of death was passed in High Court, Salisbury, yesterday on an African mill owner, Magadzo, from Goromonzi.  

He was found guilty of the murder of a 21-one-month-old child called Chipo. The Chief Justice, Sir Hugh Beadle, said it was a majority verdict. 

Sir Hugh said one of the assessors, Mr AP Jackson, had agreed with him in finding Magadzo guilty, but the second assessor, Mr A Wright had dissented. 

Later, Sir Hugh read Mr Wright’s judgment in which he said he had rejected the evidence of a herdsman had alleged seeing Magadzo with the child’s body in the river. 

In his statement, Sir Hugh said the child was killed to provide medicine for a witch doctor’s ceremony.  

There was a belief in the area where Magadzo lived that if human flesh were used in such a ceremony it could cause a business to prosper. 

The evidence was that Magadzo had employed a witch doctor to cure his child’s illness and also to rid his mills of bees.  

The court rejected the story of the bees, he said. The Chief Justice said there were no extenuating circumstances. 

During a long statement before the death sentence was passed on him, he said that some of the witnesses had given false evidence because they were jealous of his business. 

Lessons for today 

The best way to succeed in business is to work hard and not through using “muti”, which involves the senseless murder of innocent people. 

Children especially toddlers are the most preferred victims in ritual killings because of superstitious believes that the use of their body parts will grow business. 

The use of “muti” in business does not work, it is a heinous crime that can have serious consequences on those involved such as serious jail time since it involves murder and the use of human body parts. 

Murder is a serious crime that attracts a harsh sentence.

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