FEAR still hangs over Guruve villagers. Even in daylight, people walk fast, greeting strangers with caution.
Nights are no longer for rest. They are for waiting, listening and praying that morning will come without loss of life.
The arrest of suspected serial killer Anymore Zvitsva on January 2 this year brought relief to the villagers, but to a certain extent.
Soldiers, members of the Police Support Unit and other security units were deployed in large numbers to track him down following a spate of murders that claimed up to 19 lives in the Guruve community.
But for this community, peace has not fully returned. Many villagers believe Zvitsva did not commit the crimes alone, and they continue to fear for their lives. When NewsDay Weekender visited the community, it was greeted with suspicion.
Villagers, even those who could not read, demanded to see accreditation cards. Only when they saw the Zimbabwe flag symbol on the Zimbabwe Media Commission journalists’ accreditation cards did their faces soften, revealing how deeply fear has settled in the area.
Daily life has been disrupted. Homes have been abandoned.
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Some children working in towns and others abroad have taken their parents to live with them, unwilling to leave them alone.
Those who remain have imposed curfews on themselves.
Bars that once stayed open late now close early.
Men hurry home at sunset to watch over their families.
In some homes, two or three families now sleep together, believing safety lies in numbers.
Grief takes control of community.
One family lost five members at once.
Others lost mothers, daughters and sisters.
The sense of safety, peace and tranquillity that once prevailed in the community is gone.
On the night of December 22, a mother and her daughter were killed in their home in Bhosha village in the Magaya area.
A younger daughter survived by hiding under the bed as soon as she head there was an intruder inside the house.
From there, she heard her mother and sister crying out for help as the murderer raped her sister and poisoned both of them to death.
The deceased woman’s eldest son, Webster Malunga (23), who had been working in Harare, has since left his job.
He returned to the rural home where the killings happened.
He now lives there alone, trying to make sense of a life that changed in one night.
“I had hoped to come home and celebrate Christmas with my family,” Webster told NewsDay Weekender.
“Instead, we gathered to lay my mother and sister to rest. That was a turning point in my life.
“I am now staying here alone. I quit my job in Harare because I had to come back to look after the crops, including the tobacco my mother had planted. My younger sister is staying with a relative. There is no one here. I am all alone.”
Village head Alpha Marowa, in the Chikokonya area under Chief Chipuriro, said the fear in the community remains high.
“You cannot just walk around aimlessly here. Villagers will confront you because they have become extremely suspicious,” Marowa said.
“While we are relieved that the notorious murderer was arrested, we are still not settled. We suspect he was working with a syndicate.
“When people see strangers, they interrogate them or run for their lives. Any suspicious thing, tinted vehicles, for instance, immediately cause fear among villagers.”
Eighty-two-year-old Karikoti Chabvuta of Chavuta village said he does not believe Zvitsva acted alone.
“I am not believing that Anymore Zvitsva carried out these atrocities by himself,” Chabvuta said.
“From what we heard from people who claim to have seen him when he was a fugitive, he was not alone.
“What is mind-boggling is that he committed these crimes across the district and targeted vulnerable people, especially women.
“How would he have known all those homesteads and the people who live there if he had no one helping him? We expect more arrests in this matter.”
Fear has also forced villagers to abandon everyday activities that once defined rural life.
Errands that require crossing bushes are avoided.
Some families no longer attend church regularly if they have to travel through bushy areas.
Young boys have been relieved of their duties to herd cattle, fearing they could be preyed upon while alone in distant pastures.
Village head Trymore Chabvuta said even farming patterns have changed.
“We have stopped ploughing fields that are far from our homes,” the village head said.
“We try hard not to find ourselves in secluded places.
“Even some fields close to our homes have not been planted because we want to preserve pasture land.
“We can no longer use the usual grazing areas in the bushes and hills, fearing the killers.”
School children have not been spared from the fear gripping the community.
Some parents say they can no longer afford to let their children walk long distances to school, worried they could fall victim to the murders while on their way.
In Mahere village, Chikokonya area, villagers have reacted by setting up a makeshift school within the community, a move they say is meant to protect children from travelling far.
The school, which opened this year, has an enrolment of just 15 pupils and begins lessons on Monday.
It offers classes from ECD A to Grade 5, as well as Forms 1 to 3.
The nearest schools in the villages, Kondo High and Primary schools, are about 4km away from the newly-established school.
The school operates from a two-roomed cabin built on a piece of land that had lain fallow for years, offered by a well-wisher as villagers claim they are fighting to keep their children safe.
A teacher and founder of the school, Tonderai Nyambuvi, said the decision to establish a school in the village was driven by fear among parents.
“This school will open its doors to learners on Monday,” Nyambuvi said.
“I established it at the request of parents who raised fears they did not want their children to walk long distances to school after the spate of murders that have been occurring in this community.
“For now, we are using temporary structures as we make arrangements for proper infrastructure for the pupils.”
Villagers say one of the strongest reasons they believe Zvitsva was not acting alone is the discovery of a list of names believed to be targeted victims.
The list was reportedly found in the Magaya area and contained the names of vulnerable women, mostly widows or women whose husbands were not staying with them.
Residents say it is difficult to believe Zvitsva could have known all the women listed without assistance.
They suspect he had helpers who identified possible victims and supplied him with information about their lives and homesteads.
One of the women whose name appeared on the list, 60-year-old Zviringe Chahwanda of the Murenga family, said the discovery left her terrified and confused.
“I still do not understand how my name ended up on that list, together with other vulnerable women,” Chahwanda said.
“When I saw my name, I abandoned my home and sought refuge at another household in the village.
“I panicked even more when, the following day, we heard about the murder of Mai Webby and her daughter.
“That question still needs answers: who compiled that list and for what purpose? I do not feel that we are safe yet.”
But national police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said investigations have not been limited to Zvitsva alone.
“In our investigations, we have not only focused on Anymore Zvitsva,” Nyathi said.
“We have broadened our investigations to establish whether he was working alone or with others.
“If there are people who assisted Anymore Zvitsva, and if evidence shows that they were actively involved in aiding him to commit these crimes, the law will definitely take its course.”
