Parts of the decomposing body of Stella Mushangidze Chidzenga, a Chitungwiza teacher who went missing during the second term school holiday, were recently found in Gutu, Masvingo Province.
According to H-Metro, Chidzenga had been missing since August this year, and a “Missing Person” flyer circulated on various WhatsApp groups.
A man claiming to be the deceased’s uncle reported her death, which appears to be linked to a ritual murder.
Chidzenga was a Grade 2 teacher at Shingayi Government Primary School in St Mary’s, Chitungwiza.
She lived in Ushewokunze with her two children, a daughter in her early 20s and a son in Grade 6.
It is alleged that Chidzenga left home to seek medical attention in Harare and called one of her children to wait for her at a bus stop, but she never returned.
A young herdboy in Gutu discovered the decomposing body and alerted his father, who then informed neighbours and the local headman.
The body was then covered with tree branches while a police report was filed at Gutu.
However, when police officers visited the scene, they could not find the body where it had been left, according to the uncle.
When they resumed the search the following day, the body was recovered some metres from the place where it had been seen the previous day.
Clothing items, including a dress, slip-ons, a handbag, a wallet, and a mobile phone, were discovered at the scene.
The phone had a contact labelled “Daddy,” which they called to get in touch with Chidzenga’s father in Bluffhill.
Family members returned to Harare to make funeral arrangements, while authorities were yet to determine where the postmortem would be conducted.
Chidzenga was a graduate of Morgan Zintec College in Harare and was known to be a devout member of the Anglican Church, as shown by her Facebook messages.
More: Pindula News