Details of how dealer took poison revealed Tafadzwa Murengwa

Crime Reporter

INVESTIGATIONS have revealed that the Harare Ximex Mall dealer, Tafadzwa Murengwa, alias Boss Pangolin, who last week shot and killed his girlfriend along Simon Mazorodze Road after accusing her of cheating on him with a married man, drank a pesticide after police had found him locked inside a car in Shawasha Hills.

When police detectives, acting on a tip off, raided the house in the leafy Shawasha Hills where Murengwa had sought refuge, they found him around 10pm in the driver’s seat.

When he was ordered to leave the vehicle, he took his time and only emerged five minutes later after he had taken the poisonous substance, a pesticide used in agriculture. It is also used as an insecticide for slow release on pest-strips for pest control in homes, and also as a deworming agent in dogs, swine, horses and pigs.

The Herald has it on good authority that last Friday at around 9.30pm, detectives from CID Homicide received information that Murengwa had been spotted parked at the house in Shawasha Hills and they went after him.

A police source said when they approached Murengwa, he locked himself inside his grey unregistered Toyota Aqua before they ordered him to open the doors but he did not comply.

“He later opened the left front passenger door after about five minutes and collapsed on the ground. He had froth coming out of his mouth. A search was conducted inside the vehicle upon which an empty container of the insecticide was recovered behind the front passenger seat.

“Further searches were carried out and a .38 Webley revolver loaded with four spent cartridges was recovered under the drivers’ seat. A silver Apple laptop, an iPhone cellphone, a small black bag with R5 030, US$827, bank card, bail slip in respect of the accused person and receipt of Beforward Zimbabwe for cash purchase of a Mercedes Benz unknown type was also recovered under the same seat,” said the source.

Murengwa was taken to Parirenyatwa Hospital where he died on admission.

By yesterday, police were making efforts to check the original owner of the gun that Murengwa used to kill his girlfriend as part of the ongoing investigations.

The crime of passion involving Murengwa that has left many of his colleagues shocked came a day after he had stunned many last Thursday afternoon when he dished out about US$2 000 near the former Ximex Mall area.

A video circulating on social media shows commotion as Murengwa threw US dollar notes on the streets while driving an unregistered Toyota Aqua vehicle before speeding off.

Investigations have so far revealed that Murengwa, of Glen Lorne in Harare, visited the former Ximex Mall area a few minutes after he was granted bail at the Harare Magistrates Court in a case where he had been arrested on Wednesday for assaulting the now deceased ex-girlfriend, Samantha Dzapata (28) of Waterfalls.

Murengwa had appeared in court facing charges of domestic violence and threats of violence, but was released on bail.

One of his close friends said following his release, Murengwa had told Samantha that he wanted to kill her.

The friend said on July 22, Murengwa was served with a protection order for emotional and physical abuse by Samantha, who had made a report in Beitbridge where she was residing and working.

However, on Friday morning, Samantha, who was in the company of her sister — who was only identified as Cathy — decided to go and make another police report at Highlands Police Station, where she had made the previous domestic violence report.

It is understood that while walking along Simon Mazorodze Road, Murengwa who was driving his vehicle, suddenly appeared and shot Samantha once on the head before speeding off.

She died on the spot and a report was made to the police.

Murengwa and Samantha are said to have been in love since 2019 and had recently travelled to Victoria Falls where they engaged.

However, since then the couple had been quarrelling almost daily, with Murengwa accusing Samantha of cheating on him with a married man whose particulars are still not known.

Murengwa is not new to controversy and derived the moniker ‘Boss Pangolin’ in response to a crime he committed in 2017. Murengwa and his three accomplices were arrested in Harare for attempting to sell a pangolin in contravention of the law on trade in endangered species.

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