Mutangadura Murder- Renowned Zimbabwean activist and founder of the Girl Child Network, Hazviperi Betty Makoni, has made a heartfelt public plea following the shocking murder of prominent businessman Joseph Mutangadura, owner of Lesheen Farm in Ruwa. Her emotional appeal comes amid revelations that two of her close family members, buried on the farm decades ago, were allegedly removed without her knowledge.
Makoni, who has long championed the rights of women and children, revealed that the tragedy surrounding Mutangadura’s death has reopened painful family wounds that stretch back over 40 years.
“On 1 January 1983, my younger brother, Moses Chigarire Makoni, drowned in a dam at Lesheen Farm. He was only 10 years old. We buried him there. My uncle, Eliah Marume Makoni, who later acquired the farm and Melfort Motors, was also buried there in 1989. Both graves were part of our family burial grounds,” Makoni wrote in a social media post following news of Mutangadura’s death.
She alleges that over the years, the family lost control of the land and, with it, access to their loved ones’ final resting places. According to Makoni, all graves were cleared without notification, leaving the family in anguish and uncertainty about the whereabouts of their ancestors.
“I don’t even know where my brother’s remains are today,” she said. “All I want is to find him and bury him beside our ancestors and where I too shall rest. I have mourned him for 40 years.”
The activist’s statement highlights the intersection of land issues, family heritage, and unresolved grief in Zimbabwe, where historical displacements have often complicated the preservation of burial sites. Makoni’s emotional account underscores the human cost of losing not just property but also the ability to honor and remember loved ones.
Betty Makoni Seeks Help to Locate Family Graves Following Mutangadura Killing
Makoni has called on the Government of Zimbabwe and all relevant authorities to intervene and assist in exhuming the remains of her brother and uncle, so they can be reburied at the family’s rural home in Rusape. She noted that the late Mutangadura’s murder at Lesheen Farm has brought renewed public attention to the property, but also to the family’s unresolved pain.
“Baba vangu vakafa vachifambira nyaya iyi. Now that Mr. Mutangadura has passed on, we are reminded again that our own also lie somewhere, forgotten,” she said, reflecting on the decades-long struggle to reclaim her family’s burial grounds.
Makoni emphasized that Commissioner Ceciliah Mauto is aware of the family’s ongoing appeals, which span decades, and urged authorities to act.
“Please, help us. Our grief has no closure. We need help from those with a heart,” she wrote, appealing for compassionate intervention.
Her plea comes as Lesheen Farm becomes the focus of intense media coverage following Mutangadura’s brutal murder by a gang of suspected hitmen. While authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding the killing, Makoni’s appeal reminds the public that the farm holds untold stories of loss, displacement, and unresolved grief that extend far beyond the latest tragedy.
Observers note that the case underscores the wider societal challenges surrounding land ownership, historical displacements, and the protection of burial sites in Zimbabwe. Families whose ancestors are buried on contested or repossessed land often face years of uncertainty, legal battles, and emotional strain—issues compounded by lack of clear documentation or enforcement.
Makoni’s account also highlights a personal dimension to these broader concerns. For her, the loss is not only of land but of memory, continuity, and the sacred act of mourning. Her call to authorities is rooted in a desire to restore dignity to her family and ensure that her brother and uncle are laid to rest with the respect they deserve.
As public interest in Lesheen Farm continues, Makoni’s appeal has sparked conversations about the need for policies to protect family burial grounds and ensure that historical grievances are addressed. Advocacy groups and community members have expressed support for her cause, emphasizing that the intersection of personal loss, land disputes, and historical injustice must not be ignored.
For Betty Makoni, the timing of her appeal is deeply personal. The recent tragedy at Lesheen Farm has reignited a long-standing wound, reminding her and the nation that while attention often focuses on the living and contemporary disputes, the past—embodied in graves, memory, and heritage—also demands recognition and respect.
Makoni’s plea concludes with a simple, powerful message: that families deserve the right to mourn properly and to honor their ancestors, even decades after the initial loss. Her voice adds an important dimension to the ongoing national discussion about justice, land, and the forgotten dead in Zimbabwe.
Source- Facebook
