Police in Zimbabwe have arrested two men from Mwenezi after they brutally murdered a 6-year-old girl, and cut off her private parts intending to sell them in South Africa for ritual purposes.
One of the alleged murderers is the older brother of the victim’s father.
iHarare reports that Taruziva Sithole (37) and Shackmore Dube (26), were arrested on December 30, barely 24 hours after committing the heinous crime.
The local publication reports that Dube who is a frequent traveller to South Africa told Sithole that his boss in South Africa was looking for the private parts of a young girl. He went on to say that if they delivered the gruesome package, they would be handsomely rewarded with a car and a lot of cash.
After being enticed by Dube’s promises of how to get rich quickly, Sithole plotted to kill Irene Sithole, his younger brother’s daughter.
On December 29 at around 8 pm, Sithole is alleged to have brutally assaulted Irene with a log until she collapsed and died due to the injuries sustained in the diabolical assault.
When he noted that his niece had died, Sithole placed her body in a plastic-weave bag and went to Dube who was waiting for him outside the Sithole homestead.
The two men then carried the body into the bush, where Dube proceeded to cut off the young girl’s private parts with a knife he had come prepared with. After getting the privates, Sithole and Dube burned Irene’s body in an attempt to destroy the evidence of their heinous crime.
However, Sithole’s wife who was appalled when she saw her husband brutally assaulting the little girl alerted the other villagers, who promptly informed the police.
Police officers were dispatched to the village, where they discovered the little girl’s burnt remains. However, the private parts were yet to be recovered.
Sithole and Dube were arrested and charged with Irene’s murder. The two appeared before Mwenezi Magistrate Honest Musiiwa on Thursday.
Magistrate did not ask for them to plead and remanded them in custody.