Livingstone Sunhwa Finally Laid To Rest
The late St Matthias Tsonzo High School learner Livingstone Sunhwa’s skeletal was buried on Sunday, 09 October 2022 at Dangamvura Cemetery in Mutare.
However, St Matthias Tsonzo High School authorities and learners were not present at the funeral and burial.
Speaking during an interview with The Manica Post on the sidelines of the burial, Livingstone’s uncle, Wakinsi Njunga said:
What happened at the school is pure evil and we will keep demanding justice for Livingstone.
We were honestly not expecting anyone from the school to show up because all along they never showed any care that our child was missing.
This is a school run by a church and it just shocked us that the responsible authority never contacted us or made any follow-ups but we had little hope that they would make it here today to at least say goodbye to Livingstone.
Livingstone was buried more than 10 months after his disappearance from the school.
The burial follows the DNA results that recently concluded that the skeletal remains that were found in the schoolyard belonged to Livingstone.
The burial took place although his palms and feet are yet to be found.
In an interview with The Manica Post, Livingstone’s mother, Selina Tadya said the family will continue seeking justice for her son. She said:
I do not think that I will ever recover from his death. Livingstone was a respectful child with whom I had faith and loved.
All I pray for is that the relevant authorities deliver justice towards my son’s death which was under unclear circumstances.
Livingstone was last seen at the school on 6 December last year, and his remains were found on 24 June at a nearby stream in the schoolyard.
What happened to Livingstone?
According to his sister, Pride, teachers at St Mathias Tsonzo High School assaulted Livingstone and banged his head into the wall until he could no longer speak.
She said he was being punished for an alleged offence of stealing sweets and snacks from the school tuckshop.
Pride said Livingstone was assaulted in full view of the students just after break time. She said:
I saw them walking with Livingstone towards the Administration block. They started beating him there asking him how he gained entrance into the tuckshop. They were smashing his head into the wall.
There was a teacher on duty whom I asked why they were beating my brother and he said it was because he had stolen.
I asked if they had called my mother and he said they had not. When they were done beating him, he could no longer speak.
All this happened in full view of the students because we were just returning from break time.
… I last saw him at the admin block standing with the head, but I could not talk to him.
He was initially taken to Mutasa police station, as he was 19 years old, before he was released into the hands of the school head Maxwell Sambona to allow him to write a ZIMSEC examination.
Sambona was later suspended, pending investigations. He was reportedly the last person seen with Livingstone on 6 December 2021 before the boy disappeared.
Tadya lost her husband almost a decade ago and was looking up to Livingstone to be the father figure for the family in future.
Livingstone’s father also died under unclear circumstances, while working in a mine in Mozambique.
