By A Correspondent- Dangamvura residents are struggling to come to terms with the brutal murder of a local disc jockey who was stabbed 15 times by suspected robbers last week on Saturday night in unclear circumstances.
As investigations into the murder of Blessing Manhando (21) widen, with witnesses and informers supplying homicide detectives with leads, indications are that the youthful entertainer could have been attacked by suspected illegal gold panners who recently settled in the suburb a few months ago.
The suspects, who move around with machetes and knives, are thought to be behind the robberies near Beta Shopping Centre, including Manhando’s murder case.
Three of the suspects were arrested on Tuesday on a different case in which they allegedly robbed a person around the same area and stabbed him using broken bottles and knives.
Washinton Farai (21) of Area 16, Brighton Munyebvu (18) of Area 13 and Takana Siziba (22) of Home Ownership, all in Dangamvura, are expected to appear in court soon on robbery charges. Although detectives said the robbery was executed in similar fashion around the area in which the disc jockey was brutally murdered, the trio is denying any involvement in Manhando’s case.
“They have confessed to committing the robbery, but are denying taking part in the murder of the DJ. Information at hand suggests that their accomplice who cannot be named for now as this will compromise investigations disappeared soon after the murder case.
“This fugitive suspect was staying with a commercial sex worker in Area 12 which is near Beta Shopping Centre and reports are that on the night the DJ was murdered, he came home with blood stained clothes. We are interviewing all witnesses in order to get to the bottom of these allegations,” said a detective who is privy to the investigations.
The detective said the fugitive chief suspect is also wanted by the police in connection with a murder case that happened in Odzi in which he allegedly stabbed another illegal gold panner.
He is also said to have committed a litany of robberies in Chiadzwa, Marange.
Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Luxson Chananda could not shed more light on the ongoing investigations.
“We cannot reveal to the public the investigations that are being done as this will jeopardise the whole process. What I can tell you is that the long arm of the law will soon catch up with the perpetrators,” he said.
Inspector Chananda said during the early hours of June 27, an informant, Dereck Baradza, arrived at Beta Shopping Centre intending to light his cigarette as he was on his way to work.
“There were other people at the shopping centre. While there, a passerby advised them that someone was laying along a footpath between Beta Shopping Centre and Nyamauru High School.
“Baradza and other people went to the said place and discovered the late Manhando. His clothes were soaked in blood. A report was made at ZRP Dangamvura,” said Inspector Chananda.
Police detectives who attended the scene established that the late DJ had one deep cut on the neck, one on the right buttock, one on the left side collarbone, one on the right thigh just above knee level, six on the back between his shoulders, three on the right limb, one on the left limb and one on his forehead.
The owner of Dhunza Nite Club at Boka Shopping Centre revealed that he spent the day with the now-deceased at his workplace.
He said every day after work, he would drop the DJ at his residence.
However, on June 26 at around 8pm, Manhando opted to be dropped at Beta Shopping Centre.
He said he would later proceed home on his own.
Manhando was buried on Tuesday afternoon at Dangamvura Cemetery.-
-Manica Post