I cut off breasts, drained blood for businessmen – Zvitsva tells First Lady
By Agencies
DEEPLY moved by the murder of 25 people in Guruve, which is still a shock to the community and the nation at large, First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa visited alleged serial killer Anymore Zvitsva at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison in Harare.
The murders left deep trauma across Guruve, with some homes later abandoned as families struggled to recover from the attacks.
Inside the country’s most secure prison facility, visibly shaken and still failing to come to terms with the murders, the First Lady, who also personally visited the affected families in Guruve, sat across from Zvitsva, trying to understand if he was indeed a “human being.”
She was seeking insight into the mind of the man responsible for the brutal killings that left the nation reeling.
Dr Mnangagwa, who said she was troubled in mind before deciding to see Zvitsva face to face, said the execution of the murders was deeply shocking, such that some communities have since left their homesteads as they are still yet to come to terms with the sad incident, hence the need to hear from the horse’s mouth.
Seated in a wheelchair, Zvitsva shared his harrowing tale of cooking and eating human flesh, cutting body parts such as breasts, which he sold to a local miner for rituals at a mine, and selling blood from victims to a self-styled prophet.
He also said he would burn victims’ body parts to ashes, some of which he would mix with cooking oil to use as lotion as part of fortune telling, with some ashes having been used to construct a shop influenced by beliefs that such acts could bring wealth.
Zvitsva also explained the weapons he used, such as a knife, spear and axe, also sharing how he managed to escape law-enforcement agents and villagers by walking barefoot and avoiding roads for fear of being traced.
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa listens as Guruve serial murder suspect Anymore Zvitsva recounts his ordeal during a visit at Chikurubi Maximum Prison in Harare
When the First Lady asked Zvitsva about why he was arrested, he openly admitted to his crimes, saying: “I committed crimes of killing people, rape and robberies in Guruve, Zimbabwe.”
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Dr Mnangagwa, extremely worried about how Zvitsva carried out the crimes, sought to be taken through what transpired from the first murder before he recounted his alleged first killing.
Zvitsva said the first killing happened during what he initially intended to be a theft.
“It’s hard for me to understand how I started this, but what I still remember is that I was hungry and went to break into a home searching for food, but there was no one and I ended up stealing about 10 kilogrammes of mealie-meal.
“I left with a conviction that with what was there, the woman might have had some cash and decided that later that evening I would return. Around 10 pm, near midnight, I returned, knocking on the door, and the owner asked who it was and I replied that she had been robbed.”
Zvitsva said the woman then pointed at him as the stealer of the 10kg mealie-meal and he laughed before the woman opened the door, trying to chase him away, but he torched her with a cellphone and realised she was holding an iron axe.
“I panicked and realised that if I did not attack first, I would be overpowered. I then attacked her with the back of a knife (a Colombian knife) on the forehead. She started crying before retreating with more power,” he told the First Lady.
Guruve serial murder suspect Anymore Zvitsva recounts his ordeal during First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa visit at Chikurubi Maximum Prison in Harare
A struggle broke out and he had to drop his cellphone so that he could grab the axe, but during that time, the woman managed to grab her child, Zvitsva’s phone, and ran away into the bush.
“I became afraid that this woman is powerful like a soldier. If I followed her, she would beat me up, but I thought of my phone, which would be used as evidence, so I took the axe and started following her. My phone had a light, so she was struggling to switch it off and that is when I spotted her.
“When I came close to her, I pleaded for my phone, but she denied, saying it would be used as evidence to the police. I then told her I would kill her, but she never took any of it before grabbing a brick and hitting me in the stomach. I became furious then charged towards her before hitting her with the back of an axe,” he said.
Zvitsva said the woman refused to surrender and grabbed his legs. He then grabbed his knife and stabbed the woman in the back.
“That is when I realised I had stabbed someone. This was when my journey of killing people began in 2024.”
Afterwards, he fled the scene and ran towards his home, realising that he had killed someone, but he said that if he had had some guts, he would have helped save the woman by stopping the bleeding, but fear engulfed him.
For Zvitsva, he said, since then, life has never been the same, even in his dreams.
“The day I killed her, she appeared in a dream saying moto wawabatidza uyu haudzimwe yatova ngozi yakaparwa nevakuru venyu dzinza renyu hameno uchazviita sei?”
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa expresses shock as Guruve serial murder suspect Anymore Zvitsva recounts his ordeal at Chikurubi Maximum Prison in Harare
Zvitsva said he then woke up and became frightened, as he was visualising her, thinking maybe she was outside with her relatives, and spent the whole day locking his door.
On the second count, Zvitsva said he met his niece with her child, who asked him about his whereabouts before she accused him of attempting to steal, as she used to know him.
He pretended to be going in the opposite direction before the woman chased him and rushed to her house, where she properly locked the door.
“In my mind, I thought that she was afraid that my roaming around in the area was because I wanted to steal. I then labelled her a traitor and said I would kill her.
“She became angry before I took a wire she wanted to use to lock the door and tied her neck and hands before she died,” he said.
Zvitsva said he then followed her child, aged between three and five years, but he sobbed and even thought of leaving her, but the killing spirit covered him again and he took clothes that were on the washing line and went with the child where he had killed her mother.
“While approaching where I had killed her mother, I closed her face so that she could not see her. I then killed her as well, but I feared that if I left them they would be devoured by hyenas,” he said.
Guruve serial murder suspect Anymore Zvitsva recounts his ordeal during First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa visit at Chikurubi Maximum Prison in Harare
Zvitsva said he started thinking about where to hide their bodies before he took a tree log to dig a shallow grave about a metre deep and buried the child inside.
“As for the mother, I then realised that there was a man who wanted breasts to boost a gold mine. I sharpened my knife to cut two breasts. After that, I also asked myself if human flesh is consumed, so I then started cutting the body into pieces and put it in a bucket,” he said.
Zvitsva beheaded the victim and said he carried the bucket to his home after roasting some human flesh which he tasted after alleging to have only chewed it once before his heart refused, so he went to a nearby anthill where he threw some parts.
He said the remaining parts he burned and took the ashes, which he put in his lotion to add to some trees with magic powers he got from the bush, which assisted him in fortune-telling.
Zvitsva said he dreamt of the trees with magical powers while in his sleep.
“So each time I would use the ashes, even when I was asleep, I could foretell what was to befall me. Even if you have money in your house, I would predict where it is hidden,” he said.
“Through the ashes, I used them to build a building which I later destroyed. I had hope that I would make more money. The breasts I gave to Nathan Churweni, who said he would give me my money when he came back from Mozambique, but that never materialised after he heard that police were looking for me.”
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa speaks to Guruve serial murder suspect Anymore Zvitsva during a visit at Chikurubi Maximum Prison in Harare
Zvitsva also confessed to giving blood to one of the self-styled prophets he identified as Junioius Kasinauyo and Gidza Dhorobha.
“There is one woman I killed and gave the blood to a prophet who gave me US$200. I don’t know what he wanted to use it for,” he said.
The First Lady inquired how he then proceeded to kill the rest after his first incident.
“According to my own thinking, the evil spirit started after my first killing and never left me,” he said.
Asked about his whereabouts after the murder, Zvitsva said he started becoming evasive as news of the search for him was all over, even in the media.
“When police started searching for me, I killed my aunt and her child. What led to the killing is that while I was replanting maize around 3:30 am up to 9am, before I cooked and left to look for some cigarettes.
“When I wanted to leave, I was called by my sibling saying, Baba Alice, if you visit the neighbouring village, your head and legs will be cut. I inquired what was wrong. She said I was being accused of attempting to murder a 62-year-old with a hammer and an axe, but I was overpowered. That made me furious.”
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa speaks to Guruve serial murder suspect Anymore Zvitsva during a visit at Chikurubi Maximum Prison in Harare
The First Lady also inquired how many people Zvitsva killed and how he buried them.
“I don’t remember how many people I killed, but I am aware that I only buried three people. Others would remain at their places,” he said.
As police began searching for him, Zvitsva said he spent long periods hiding in bushes and forests.
He described how he would avoid leaving clear footprints by walking along the sides of paths or through grass so as to evade arrest.
“I would never walk openly, I would make sure I was hiding always like someone trying to catch a wild animal,” he said.
“I would walk carrying weapons such as knives and traditional spears similar to those pictured in photos of spirit mediums like Mbuya Nehanda.”
Dr Mnangagwa asked if Zvitsva used to live a normal life.
“I once lived an ordinary life and interacted normally with people before my crimes began. I am actually worried about what got into me,” he said.
Guruve serial murder suspect Anymore Zvitsva appeals for forgiveness from First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa and the nation at large at Chikurubi Maximum Prison in Harare
The First Lady asked Zvitsva what his actions meant to the bereaved families, community and nation at large before asking his message to them.
“I am Anymore Zvitsva from Guruve. I committed heinous crimes. I killed women, children and other men. May you have mercy for all my wrongdoings.
“I am trying to understand how I ended up doing these things. To all the families I wronged, may you please find it in your hearts to forgive me. Even to you, First Lady, His Excellency the President and the entire nation, I am sorry for my deeds. Find it in your hearts to forgive me,” he said.
During the meeting, Zvitsva repeatedly asked for forgiveness from the victims’ families and the country.
After pleading for forgiveness, the First Lady asked Zvitsva, as he awaits his judgment considering his crimes, what suitable ruling he thinks suits him best.
“I have nothing to say. It is up to the State, which knows,” he said.
For the communities of Guruve, however, the pain remains.
And while Zvitsva asked for forgiveness, the memories of those who lost loved ones continue to shape the lives of families still searching for peace.
-HeraldOnline
