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Rutendo Rori Mash East correspondent

Chief Mangwende of Murehwa has agreed to the burial of the remains of murdered Tapiwa Makore on January 9, 2021, without his head, as the family seeks to bring finality and closure to his case.

This comes a few days after police released some of the DNA forensic results from the case, confirming that the abdomen, legs and palm belonged to the deceased, while results of the skull are yet to be released.

The family wrote a letter to police through their lawyer Tabitha Chikeya, asking for permission to bury the deceased on the said date at the family cemetery in Murehwa.

In an interview after meeting with the Chief over the burial arrangements, Tapiwa’s parents said they had no choice, but to bury their son without his head.

Tapiwa’s father Munyaradzi Makore said: “It was our wish to bury our son with all his body parts but we have finally decided to bury him without his head. We are going to bury what is there on January 9 next year so that we can find closure.

“We would like to express our gratitude to fellow Zimbabweans for standing with us during these hard times.”

Tapiwa’s mother, Linda Munyori said her wish was to put her son’s spirit to rest.

“It is now almost three months since the murder took place and I feel it is high time my son’s spirit rests. Burying him will also bring comfort to us,” she said.

“As a mother it pains me to bury my son without his head but there is nothing we can do,” she said.

His uncle, Barnabas Makore appealed to well-wishers to assist in the burial proceedings.

“As a family we won’t be able to manage the funeral on our own and we therefore appeal to Government and the private sector to assist us.”

Tapiwa Makore was murdered on September 17, in a suspected ritual killing and four suspects, including his uncles Thanks and Tapiwa Makore (Senior), have been arrested in connection with the murder that left the entire nation in shock.

Thanks Makore is alleged to have been given the deceased’s head and arms.

Meanwhile, High Court Judge Justice Tapiwa Chitapi yesterday freed on $10 000 bail one of the suspects in the Murehwa murder case, Thanks Makore, on the basis that there was nothing linking him to the offence.

In his ruling, Justice Chitapi yesterday said the State’s case was weak as there was nothing connecting the accused with the offence and that the police did not find anything at his house as was alleged by a police informant. As part of his bail conditions, Makore was ordered to report to the police once every week, surrender his travel documents, continue residing at his Damofalls residence and not interfere with State witnesses.

His co-accused Tapiwa Makore Snr, Tafadzwa Shamba and Maud Hunidzarira are still languishing in remand prison.

Thanks Makore was reportedly the mastermind behind the unsettled murder and is believed to have offered to pay US$1 500 for the head and arms of the deceased.