Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. IN a shocking turn of events, a family’s grief turned into a determined pursuit of justice after their 26-year son’s death was shrouded in mystery.
Emmanuel Muchecheterwa’s son, Godrich died under unclear circumstances on May 24, 2023.
At first, it was believed that the promising young man had consumed poison after visiting his girlfriend Tanatswa Moleni’s homestead in the Mukarati area near Garabha shopping centre, Hwedza, Mashonaland East province.
However, the Muchecheterwa family’s suspicions were raised when he received a phone call informing him about his son’s death.
Upon arrival at the mortuary at Mt St Mary’s Mission Hospital in Hwedza, he discovered a scar on Godrich’s head.
This prompted the deceased’s father to demand a post-mortem to determine the cause of death before burial was conducted.
The body of the deceased was then transferred to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Harare.
The first post-mortem results showed that Godrich died of food poisoning, but the presence of a deep wound on his head remained unexplained.
A second post-mortem conducted on June 26, 2023 revealed evidence of foul play, prompting the family to seek justice.
NewsDay Weekender recently travelled to Hwedza to gather more information on the unfolding case.
“I knew something was not right,” Muchecheterwa said, recalling the moment he saw the scar on his son’s head.
“As a father, I had to get to the bottom of this.”
He said he agreed to go on with the burial because police had been given results which showed that there was foul play, which needed to be investigated.
Godrich’s burial was done about a month later after his tragic passing on June 28, 2023, but the Moleni family did not attend, despite residing in the same area.
In a surprising move, the Muchecheterwa family took Godrich’s corpse to the Moleni’s homestead in protest during the funeral procession, a development which led them being later summoned to Headman Chigwedere’s court. Muchecheterwa was accused of “making the house dirty” in Shona culture and was ordered to pay two goats.
“It was a cultural taboo, but I did it out of anger and grief,” Muchecheterwa said.
After Godrich’s burial, Muchecheterwa’s pursuit of justice led him to various police stations — from Hwedza, Marondera to Police General Headquarters in Harare.
He claims to have visited police stations around 50 times from the year 2023 up to July 2025, but his pleas for help fell on deaf ears.
“At some point, I believed that the Moleni family was dealing with the authorities to cover up the truth,” he told NewsDay Weekender.
“I had lost hope that closure would ever come.
“In our culture, the death of a person cannot be concealed or covered up. The truth will always come out, and I was determined to see justice served.”
After Godrich’s case was moved to be investigated by the CID homicide in early July this year, two groups were assigned to carry out the investigations and they cracked the Moleni family.
It is reported that on the day Godrich died, he had a misunderstanding with Mary Moleni, the mother of his girlfriend, Tanatswa.
According to the allegations, Mary bashed Godrich with a log and George Moleni (grandfather) and Margaret Moleni (grandmother) joined in, kicking him until he fell unconscious.
The Molenis are alleged to have later called one Evans Mupezeni, their nephew, to carry the lifeless body away for a fee, but they were seen by villagers, allegedly leading them to hire a taxi to dispose of the body at Mt St Mary’s mortuary.
This led to the arrest of the four accused — Mary, George, Margaret and Evans — a fortnight ago in connection with Godrich’s death.
The Moleni family members later appeared in court on July 11 and they were all remanded in custody at St Thomas Marondera Prison until July 25.
Muchecheterwa’s determination to uncover the truth behind his son’s death has brought a sense of closure, but the journey to justice is far from over.
“I am relieved that the truth is finally coming to light,” he said.
“I hope the courts will deliver justice for my son’s death.”
This case highlights the importance of thorough investigations and the need for justice to be served.
The outcome of this case will bring closure to the Muchecheterwa family and serve as a reminder that justice will always be pursued, no matter how long it takes.
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