His body was dismembered of the head, leg, and arm, and then dumped in a pit latrine, the police say. The tragic incident unfolded last week in a neighbourhood that has since been left in fear and disbelief at the inhumane act. According to preliminary reports by the Ramotswa station commander, Superintendent Keoagile Tau the 27-year-old Zimbabwean suspect, Anesu Hwenjere allegedly attacked his cousin of the same age, Victor Mashenge in a fit of rage and killing him in the process. Hwenjere dumped Mashenge's body in a pit latrine. Tau further revealed to The Monitor that, to their disbelief, when they retrieved the body from the latrine it was dismembered. "This is a brutal murder where we established that the victim’s head, arm, and leg had been cut off. This was done to fit the body into the latrine," Tau explained.
The station commander further highlighted that the body parts were fortunately also retrieved from the pit latrine, save for the victim's manhood. However, The Monitor crew descended in Ramotswa only to learn that the police preliminary reports were just the tip of the iceberg. According to a Ramotswa resident, who works near the yard that has now become the scene of the crime, not only was the victim beheaded but also cut off were his limbs along with his missing privates. "It was a really bad scene for one to look at. That man was brutally killed. His head was cut off, and his leg, arm, and manhood were severed. The other parts were retrieved but his manhood was not found at all. Even today, no one knows where it is," the source who preferred anonymity revealed. The Ramotswa resident further shared that the suspect who is now in police custody was even taken back to the crime scene by the officers to reveal where he had put the deceased's manhood. "Police officers came with him the other day to show them where the private part is. When he got there, the suspect said he had put it on the roof of the house.
However, when officers got up there they didn't find it," the source added. The source said rumours have been making rounds in the community that the murder might now be linked to witchcraft, a concept people are failing to wrap around their minds as to why he would cut off a person's privates for the parts to vanish into thin air. As per the resident, speculation is rife that the suspect is a drug addict and might have needed quick money to get a quick fix, killing his cousin. "This guy uses CAT and he has been using it for a long time now. He would get into fights with his cousin after doing drugs and some people in the community suspect that he might have sold his cousin's private parts to a traditional doctor," the source revealed. It was further revealed that the cousins hadn't been living in harmony for quite some time but continued to tolerate each other.
As per the source, the suspect would always bully the victim for money for drugs as he was the only one working but now he allegedly lost his life at the hands of his cousin. The incident took place at a yard the cousins had rented out. The resident highlighted that the slain Mashenge was buried on the same day following the retrieval of his deteriorated body. Hwenjere was arraigned yesterday (Monday) before the Extension II Magistrate Court and has been slapped with a single count of murder.
