Five Muzarabani family members accused of killing a self-styled prophet after they buried him alive at his request were yesterday acquitted due to lack of incriminating evidence.
BY CHARLES LAITON
Learnmore Mutero, Tonderai Muswere, Michael Muchengeti, Manasa Mutero, and Nicholas Mutero were being accused of killing Shamiso Kanyama after they buried him alive during a cleansing ceremony at their homestead on July 30, 2012.
High Court judge Justice Owen Tagu heard that Kanyama had volunteered to be buried alive so that he would gain more cleansing power on “resurrection”.
The family’s acquittal followed an application by prosecutor Washington Munyoro, who told the court that the State had failed to prove a case against the accused persons given that none of the State witnesses had adduced incriminating evidence against them.
The court heard Kanyama and his colleague, Dick Benson, had been invited to cleanse the homestead by the five men who were accusing their father, Zvidzai Muchengeti, of possessing evil spirits that were causing mysterious deaths among family members.
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Justice Tagu heard Kanyama told the family members the cleansing process entailed him being buried alive in a grave-shaped pit to enable him to summon more powers to drive away the evil spirits.
The accused’s father, Muchengeti, told the court that Kanyama measured the width, length and depth of the pit and assisted the five in digging after which he prayed and entered the pit, lay on his stomach and ordered them to cover him with soil.
“He pegged a grave-shaped pit in front of my hut and asked for help to dig the pit. The deceased requested to be buried alive so that he would gain power to drive away the evil forces,” Muchengeti said.