Four South Africa-based Zimbabweans were reportedly arrested in Musina yesterday in connection with gruesome murder of two Zimbabwean women last month.
BY NUNURAI JENA
Sources said the suspects were detained at Oliphant Fontein Police Station in Johannesburg and were expected to assist South African police with investigations into the murder cases.
Zimbabwe’s consular-general to South Africa, Henry Mukonoweshuro, could neither confirm nor deny the arrests.
“I will let you know about the new developments tomorrow (today) since it is a weekend and will update you after visiting Oliphant Police Station as earlier planned,” Mukonoweshuro said.
One of the women,Olga Gwena, was positively identified and her body repatriated home for burial last week, while her colleague, Esther Mwinde, is yet to be accounted for although she is presumed dead.
The two women, married to a Kariba family, were allegedly abducted after they boarded a Pretoria-bound commuter omnibus.
Their abductors then allegedly demanded cash ransoms from the women’s husbands over the phone, but later cut contacts after receiving some of the money.
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Mukonoweshuro yesterday added that the Zimbabwean embassy in South Africa had no capacity to fund repatriation of bodies.
“We don’t have the capacity to pay for anyone who dies here. We just notify the family members and nothing more . . . I know a lot of people expect a lot from us, but unfortunately we don’t a have budget for that,” he said.
Some unknown bodies were later discovered at a mortuary in Pretoria where Gwena’s body was identified and repatriated for burial in Hwedza after the in-laws insisted that she not be buried in Chitungwiza as earlier planned.
