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Man (77) burnt to ashes at memorial service

Local News
Mashonaland East provincial acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Misheck Denhere confirmed the incident and urged the public to desist from starting veld fires without following safety protocols.

BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA

A 77-YEAR-OLD man from Sadza in Mashonaland East province was burnt to death in a veld fire during his mother-in-law’s memorial service on September 17.

Gwapedza Julius Takaindisa, of Nhema village, was burnt beyond recognition during the incident.

Mashonaland East provincial acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Misheck Denhere confirmed the incident and urged the public to desist from starting veld fires without following safety protocols.

“I confirm the death of an elderly man in Sadza in a veld fire. The suspect, who started the fire, has since been arrested and charged with culpable homicide. We urge the public to desist from starting veld fires without following the necessary steps, among them construction of fire guards,” he said.

According to the police, on September 17 at around 10am, the deceased went to his mother-in-law’s memorial service in the company of his nephews.

It is reported that Takaindisa went into a nearby bush to relieve himself, but was trapped and burnt by the veld fire.

A female juvenile reportedly saw Takaindisa battling to douse the fire and sent a text message to village head Cannan Mukondo (55) detailing what she had seen.

The text message did not reach Mukondo on time as his mobile phone was offline.

The deceased’s nephews looked for him after realising that he had taken a long time to return to the event.

The village head then informed his relatives of the text message, and they rushed to the scene, where they discovered his charred remains.

They identified him through his national identity card before a police report was made.

After investigations, it was discovered that the fire was started by Elliot Mukono (50) of Mubani village, who was clearing a family graveyard, about 2km from the homestead where the memorial service was being held.

Follow Jairos on Twitter @jairossaunyama