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Richard Muponde, Plumtree Correspondent
THE body of a mentally ill man, whose head was decapitated in a suspected ritual murder, is still stuck at the Gwanda provincial hospital, nine months after he was killed.

Mduna, as he was popularly known to the Colleen Bawn community, was allegedly killed by Honest Moyo (21) of Garanyemba, Gwanda district, in June last year who went on to decapitate him and cut off his testicles.

Moyo was later arrested in possession of the body parts that he had stuffed in a bag and took them to his home in Mawane village.

Gwanda Provincial Hospital Superintendent, Dr Purgy Chimberengwa, yesterday confirmed that the decomposing body was yet to be collected from the health institution’s mortuary.

“I can confirm that the body of a mental patient who was allegedly killed last year in Colleen Bawn is still in our mortuary. The torso, head and the removed private parts are all there in the mortuary. The body is in an advanced state of decomposition,” said Dr Chimberengwa.

He said they were going to apply to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare for a pauper’s burial.

“We are in the process of applying to give the body a pauper’s burial. Normally a body takes six months before being given a pauper’s burial. Decomposing bodies even take less, up to three months because they damage mortuary refrigeration. If he had relatives, I think by now they should have claimed the body. Once the application is approved we are going to bury the body,” he said.

Moyo, who was employed at Crystal Block farm in Colleen Bawn as a herd boy, allegedly waylaid Mduna at Colleen Bawn dumpsite on June 20 last year.

He allegedly killed Mduna, decapitated him and cut off his testicles before burying the body in a shallow grave.

The matter came to light after his cousin, Mr Thandolwenkosi Ndlovu found Moyo shaving the decapitated head in a kitchen at his mother’s homestead.

A terrified Mr Ndlovu bolted out of the kitchen with Moyo in hot pursuit allegedly threatening to kill him.

Ndlovu alerted other villagers who apprehended Moyo and handed him to the police.

On his arrest, Moyo, who is presently in remand prison, said he had been sent by a Zvishavane based businessman to harvest the body parts in return for a $25 000 payment.

@richardmuponde