Inquest Into Livingstone Sunhwa's Death Begins
An inquest into the death of Livingstone Sunhwa has begun at Mutasa Magistrates Court.
Livingstone (19) was a Form Four learner at St Matthias Tsonzo High School and went missing from the school in December 2021.
His remains were found six months later and were buried in December last year, a year after he went missing.
The police claimed Livingstone had committed suicide after being accused of stealing some food items from the school tuckshop.
The Manica Post reported that the inquest hearings will see witnesses to the events prior to Livingstone disappearance testifying before Mutasa magistrate, Artwell Sanyatwe.
Livingstone’s 17-year-old sister, Pride, who was also learning at St Matthias Tsonzo at the time of his disappearance, appeared before Sanyatwe on Wednesday.
Pride, who is now studying at another school, said she suspects foul play on her brother’s death. She said:
0n December 5, 2021, I saw Livingstone coming from the hostels with some teachers and policemen.
Livingstone was being held by the collar by one of the policemen and they led him into the staff room.
They were demanding that he shows them how he had entered the staff room.
I then heard sounds that suggested that someone was being beaten inside the staff room and eventually I heard Livingstone crying and screaming, asking for them to stop.
As soon as other students started to gather, we were dispersed and ordered to go to our hostels.
After night study, I saw Livingstone standing outside and he had no shoes. That is the last time I saw him.
She said she ended up calling her mother who was in South Africa to inform her of Livingstone’s disappearance.
Another witness, Lynette Chapungu, told the court that she discovered pieces of cloth, a blanket and some shoes that belonged to Livingstone.
She said she first saw the items towards the end of December 2021 after her grandchildren had alerted her. Said Chapungu:
My grandchildren told me that they had seen the items in the bushes and I went there to collect them as I thought they belonged to my niece.
However, she denied owning the items so I took them back to the area where I had found them.
That was until June 2022 when the police came to investigate Livingstone’s disappearance.
Prior to the police’s investigations, I did not know that there was a student who had gone missing at the school.
Chapungu, however, told the court that she does not suspect foul play on Livingstone’s death.
Sanyatwe remanded the matter to April 28 2023 when three police officers who are dealing with the matter are expected to testify.
DNA tests conducted on the remains confirmed that they were indeed Livingstone’s remains.
The skeletal remains were buried in December 2022, a year after he went missing from the school.
More: Pindula News
