Pius Jamba
| Pius Jamba | |
|---|---|
| Born | Pius Mukandi Missing required parameter 1=month! , |
| Residence | Zimbabwe |
| Nationality | Zimbabwean |
| Organization | ZANU PF |
| Known for | Prime suspect in the murder of Moreblessing Ali |
| Criminal status | Remand Prison |
| Parent(s) |
|
Background
Pius Jamba, real name Pius Mukandi, was a resident of Nyatsime in Beatrice. He was identified by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) as the main suspect in the murder of Moreblessing Ali who was a member of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) and a community leader in Ward 21, Chitungwiza North.
Mukandi is related to Simbarashe Chisango, who is said to be a well-known ZANU PF activist in Chitungwiza.
His mother is Laina Mukandi of Plot 321 Dunnotar Farm in Beatrice where he dumped Ali's remains in a disused well before disappearing from the area.
School/ Education
No information could be found on his Junior or High School, or any tertiary education.
Murder Allegations
On 30 May 2022, ZRP national spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi issued a statement which said Mukandi had a scuffle with Ali following a misunderstanding over the latter's dog.
The incident occurred on 24 May 2022, at around 9 PM at Chibhanguza Shopping Centre, Nyatsime in Beatrice, where Ali had gone to drink beer with her friend Kirina Mayironi.
Mukandi is reported to have had a scuffle with Ali and he dragged her before the two disappeared into the darkness.
On 16 June 2022, Assistant Commissioner Nyathi announced the arrest of Mukandi in the Chidamoyo area, Magunje, Mashonaland West Province, his mother’s home area.
Mukandi (31) had been in hiding since 24 May 2022 when he was last seen dragging Ali from Chibhanguza Shopping Centre.
Police initially claimed that Mukandi and Ali were ex-lovers but it later emerged during Mukandi's court appearance that it was the first time for him to see the deceased. [1]
Mukandi appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court on 18 June 2022 before magistrate Dennis Mangosi.
The State alleged Mukandi took the now deceased from the vicinity of the nightclub to an unknown secluded place and struck her with an unknown object, before strangling her to death and cutting her body into three pieces.
Mukandi allegedly took the dismembered body parts to her mother's home and dumped them into a well before fleeing to Magunje.
He was arrested before he could sell a grinding mill to raise transport money to Zambia or Mozambique
Mukandi was remanded in custody to 1 July 2022 and advised to apply for bail at the High Court.
Jamba appeared in court again on 24 May and was remanded in custody to 09 May by Harare magistrate Evelyn Mashavakure.[2]
This came after the National Prosecuting Authority said it is finalising paperwork for him to be indicted for trial at the High Court.
When Jamba initially appeared in court in 2022, he detailed how he murdered Ali before dismembering her body.
The NPA said, in his warned and cautioned statement, Jamba admitted to the murder charge. He was, however, not asked to plead.
Political affiliation
It was reported that Mukandi was a member of the ruling ZANU PF party but this was refuted by party political commissar, Mike Bimha. [3] He said:
I got some reports that the culprit got apprehended and the culprit is in no way one of us, and what I gather is that the opposite is true of those people who had been attacked first.
Jamba's Retraction
In November 2023, Mukandi alleged police threatened to kill him if he did not admit to the crime. He told High Court Judge Justice Esther Muremba that the police who were handling his case also assaulted him.[4]
He made the claims in his defence after he was asked by his lawyer Garikayi Mhishi if he was admitting to the murder charge.
Mukandi also said the police told him that he was lucky he handed himself in otherwise if he had been found at home he would have been shot.
He said the witnesses who testified for the state said he was wearing a yellow T-shirt on the night Ali was last seen at Chibhanguza nightclub, yet he was wearing a red T-shirt and blue jeans.
He said the T-shirts and jeans were recovered by the police and were never submitted in court as exhibits.
Conviction
On 04 December 2023, Justice Esther Muremba ruled that Pius Jamba Mukandi had killed Moreblessing Ali. Sentencing was set for 20 December 2023.[5]
Muremba also said it was also her finding that the murder was not politically motivated. Said the judge:
We’re satisfied that the accused is the person who killed Moreblessing Ali because he was the last person to be seen with her.
The state witnesses impressed the court as credible witnesses. They gave corroborating evidence.
It is common cause that the accused and Ali interacted and their interaction was not in the positive.
It is also common cause that Ali did not go home after drinking at the nightclub on May 24 and she was never seen alive again.
References
- ↑ Revealed: ‘Killer’ was not Moreblessing Ali’s lover, The Standard, published: June 19, 2022, retrieved: June 20, 2022
- ↑ Staff Reporter, CCC activist Moreblessing Ali’s killer remanded to May, awaiting indictment, New Zimbabwe.com, Published: 25 April 2023, Retrieved: 26 April 2023
- ↑ Blessed Mhlanga, Moreblessing Ali murder suspect not in our structures - ZANU PF, NewsDay, published: June 16, 2022, retrieved: June 20, 2022
- ↑ Desmond Chingarande, Ali's suspected killer says police threatened to kill him, The Standard, Published: 12 November 2023, Retrieved: 06 December 2023
- ↑ Moreblessing Ali killer Pius Jamba convicted, sentencing on December 20, ZimLive, Published: 04 December 2023, Retrieved: 06 December 2023
