A duo from Mutare have been handed a crushing 45-year prison sentence each for the brutal murder of a Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services officer, whom they then dumped on railway tracks. The sentencing brings a measure of closure to a grim chapter that began in March 2023, when the life of Officer Tapiwa Mutyasira was tragically cut short.
The harrowing details of the case were laid bare by the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPA), which secured the convictions of Brighton Gowero, aged 29, and Takunda Makoni, aged 21. The court heard how, over two days in early March 2023, Gowero and Makoni, along with a third accomplice known only as Courage who remains at large, carried out a vicious attack on the 29-year-old officer.
The NPA stated,
“The offenders, Gowero and Makoni, together with an accomplice identified as Courage, who is currently on the run, brutally assaulted the now deceased with unknown objects, causing fatal injuries.”
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Following the assault, the perpetrators stole Mutyasira’s two mobile phones and, in a calculated move to cover their tracks, disposed of his body on the Mutare-Harare railway line in the Chikanga area.
Suspects Dumped Body After Murder of Prison Officer
The plan to make the murder look like an accident, or to dispose of the evidence entirely, took a macabre turn in the days that followed. The authorities revealed that the officer’s remains were subsequently struck by a passing goods train. The driver of the train had reportedly mistaken the body for debris discarded on the line. This grisly discovery prompted an immediate investigation, which led authorities to the shocking truth.
A post-mortem examination conducted at the Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital provided the definitive medical evidence. The NPA confirmed the findings, noting,
“A post-mortem carried out at Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital confirmed that Mutyasira died from polytrauma, multiple injuries resulting from a violent attack.”
This official conclusion cemented the case against Gowero and Makoni, leaving no doubt that Mutyasira’s death was a result of a severe and sustained assault before his body was ever placed on the tracks.
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Duo Slapped With 45-Year Sentences For Murder
After a thorough legal process, the Mutare High Court delivered its stern judgment. Both Brighton Gowero and Takunda Makoni were found guilty of murder, with the court emphasising the severity of their crime. The 45-year prison term imposed on each man signifies the gravity of taking a life, particularly that of a serving officer of the law.
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The post Duo Slapped With 45-Year Sentences For Murder Of Prison Officer Dumped On Railway Tracks appeared first on iHarare News.
