By Crime and Courts Reporter — The Supreme Court has replaced the death sentences of two men convicted of the gruesome murder of seven-year-old Tapiwa Makore with life imprisonment, following the recent abolition of the death penalty in Zimbabwe.

Tafadzwa Shamba and Tapiwa Makore Snr were found guilty by the High Court in June 2023 for the brutal killing of the Murewa boy in September 2020, allegedly for ritual purposes.

Shamba, a herdsman, confessed to drugging, killing, and dismembering the child. His accomplice, the victim’s uncle, was convicted for unlawfully detaining the boy in his home for hours before the murder.

Both were sentenced to death on 12 July 2023 by Justice Munamato Mutevedzi. However, on 12 May 2025, the Supreme Court commuted their sentences to life imprisonment after Zimbabwe officially abolished capital punishment.

The case shocked the nation. The victim, Tapiwa Makore Jr, disappeared on 17 September 2020. Despite frantic efforts by his parents and villagers to locate him, his mutilated body—missing the head, hands, and legs—was discovered being dragged by dogs at a neighbour’s homestead. Further remains were later recovered from a disused pit latrine and other locations.

Following their conviction, Shamba and Makore Snr had an automatic right of appeal to the Supreme Court. However, before the appeal could be heard, the abolition of the death penalty rendered the death sentence unenforceable, prompting the Supreme Court to impose life imprisonment instead.