The Sunday Mail
Veronique Gwaze
Tweets, Whatsapp, Tik Tok and Instagram posts talking about the death of Samantha Dzapata and Tafadzwa Murengwa faded and most people moved on with their lives.
It has now been almost three weeks since the tragic deaths of the Harare lovebirds, Murengwa and Dzapata.
Dzapata was shot by Murengwa, who committed suicide the following day.
While the sad and shocking event quickly fades from the minds of many people, likely overwhelmed by the events, the same cannot be said for their family members, including neighbors and friends.
Last Thursday the Sunday Mail Society visited the rural home of the late Murengwa in Guruve.
wait in vain
This is where Murengwa, who had a strong bond with his paternal grandmother, Gogo Grace Marumahoko, grew up.
Gogo Grace Marumahoko
As we parked our car, Gogo Marumahoko ushered us into their home.
Close relatives were always gathered at the farm, a practice not unusual in our traditional custom.
However, their extended stay was prompted by ‘unusual’ circumstances – they have a huge task ahead of them.
It’s a waiting game, constantly checking phones for a call or text. Calls and texts are not coming.
“We couldn’t leave after the funeral. We are waiting for Samantha’s family to contact us for the next steps,” revealed Murengwa’s aunt, Bertha Gombedza.
“They had indicated they would call after the holidays (Heroes Day and Defense Forces) but they haven’t yet.”
Contrary to reports circulating on social media, Dzapata’s family has yet to meet or demand anything from the Murengwas.
Murengwa’s family are looking forward to the engagement and say they are ready to accommodate any requests that will be made.
strong link
Although he lived a lot in the city, Murengwa remained close to his grandmother, who described him as a gentle, obedient and hardworking young man. Being so close to Murengwa, Gogo Marumahoko knew him too well.
She said Dzapata was introduced to her at Guruve last year.
According to the lovebirds, it had been four years since they started dating. After introductions, they often visited together while Dzapata even called to check on Gogo Marumahoko.
“He didn’t have many friends and wasn’t a playboy either. Samantha was the first for us,” Gogo Marumahoko recalled.
“He always called me or came to see me, made sure I had air time and bought me presents… he loved me so much, I’m hurt,” a she declared.
She revealed that she noticed that the “lovebird”‘s relationship had deteriorated.
“However, at one point she was silent for a few days. I decided to call her and surprisingly I heard a man’s voice speaking in the background…I could tell that it was not Murengwa.
“Since then I had reservations about him, but I didn’t tell him because he was ready to get married anytime,” she said.
Red flags, advice
Gogo Marumahoko said signs of impending tragedy began to appear when the couple’s relationship turned violent. And she regrets not having done much to help Murengwa.
“He called me and told me everything about the day he beat her; it wasn’t him. Growing up, he was neither violent nor had temper issues.
“I had to advise him because he was panicking. He in turn apologized to me for what he had done and asked me to call his girlfriend on his behalf.
A few days later, Gogo Marumahoko called Dzapata to find out what had happened.
“She laughed at the incident saying ‘it was nothing serious’ and that she had forgiven him.
“However, he insisted that she was lying and that the two had in fact broken up,” she added.
This prompted her to advise the two to come to Guruve for advice, but they failed to show up.
As Dzapata was known in the family, her breakup with Murengwa worried those close to her.
Following his breakup with Dzapata, Murengwa’s relatives called a meeting at his uncle’s home in Chishawasha as they attempted to counsel him and advise him to move on.
Unfortunately, the meeting did not help.
In the days that followed, they heard social media posts from Murengwa confessing to shooting Dzapata.
While they were still trying to determine his whereabouts, they also received a phone call from the police informing them that he had committed suicide.
A friend from the village
In the village, Murengwa was described as a disciplined community lover and a hardworking young man, who enjoyed herding cattle.
He was also a source of inspiration for young people who hoped one day to leave the village and establish themselves in the city.
The Dealer was actually a role model that many expected to make headlines by developing his hustle.
Unfortunately, he ended up making headlines for the wrong reasons.
His gruesome and tragic end shocked many and those he grew up with are still in disbelief.
“He was a role model, he didn’t forget his roots or lose his morale even when he became ‘rich’ and we all envied him,” recalls Matthew, a villager.
Born third in a family of four, Boss Pango, as he was affectionately known in the bustling neighborhood of Ximex, attended primary schools in Mvurwi and Mazowe.
After graduating from Bindura University, he moved to Harare where he started his mobile phone and car dealership business.
Mystery, closure
Murengwa’s family wants closure. They are hoping to get more information on the exact location where his death took place.
Likewise, they say they do not know the owner of the house where his body was found.
“The day he died, his father was here with me. One of his uncles came at 4 am to pick us up. We both have high blood pressure and they didn’t break the news until we got to his uncle’s house.
“What hurts the most is that we haven’t got proper details of his death. We don’t know in which compound he died and whether it happened in the car or in the hospital. We are confused,” said Gogo Marumahoko, visibly shaken.
clean money
She also cleared the air around the supposed suicide note and juju (kuromba) allegations.
The message, she said, circulating about her ordering them to take things out of her car and under the bed, are all lies or rather creations of social media.
Murengwa, a member of the Apostolic Faith Mission Protocols, was mourned and buried according to church protocols and rites.
However, his coffin was never placed inside the house.
According to the family, this is what tradition requires when one dies by one’s own hand.
“We have seen him progress. As he acquired more money, his character never changed and I refuse to believe akaromba,” she added.
“I have often visited Harare and every day he left early in the morning and returned late after dusk; he was a hard worker.
Fight from the grave
However, the family blames Dzapata for misleading their son.
They feel that she should have cut ties and refused Murengwa’s gifts when she fell in love.
“If she had been honest, we wouldn’t have been in this mess. We won’t demand her property, but they should just do the right thing and put things back… Murengwa will fight from his grave because we also believe he was wronged,” she added.
Gogo Marumahoko added: “He died for his possessions, it is not for us to fight on his behalf so we will just do what is right for Dzapata’s family (appease) and leave the rest to him, he will fight if he wants to. ”
She said they did not attend Dzapata’s funeral as they were also mourning Murengwa.
“After the funeral we contacted his family so we could offer our condolences, talk about what happened and what needs to be done. We are aware that in such cases a lot of tradition has to take place.
She was quick to add, however, that her family was equally bitter.
“If Samantha had just returned Murengwa’s items and money, all of this wouldn’t have happened, he would have to fight from the grave,” Marumahoko said.
scammer
Murengwa’s friend Marlon Nyanyiwa said the two started working together in 2017.
This was shortly after Murengwa graduated from Bindura University.
With a few gadgets to start his business, Nyanyiwa notes that he admired Murengwa’s work ethic.
“He was goal-oriented and even risked investing what little he earned in other businesses. We’ve had profits and losses together along the way. In 2020, a breakthrough came and Murengwa went into car dealership.
“To say he got up because of the juju is not true because I was with him all the way,” Nyanyiwa said.
He also gave insight into the relationship between Murengwa and Dzapata.
“I knew Samantha, he loved her. Whenever she was there, they spent most of their time together…he would spoil her a lot and was ready to settle down. I don’t know how things turned out pickled,” he said.
Nyanyiwa revealed that he noticed something was wrong the day his friend poured money around Ximex.
Prior to the incident, Murengwa had sent a “strange” message to his friends, which further upset Nyanyiwa.
Although he spoke to him, Murengwa tricked him into thinking he was fine.
However, his sixth sense still convinced him that something bad was about to happen.
“I was not comfortable the next day. He texted me saying he murdered Samantha and was fleeing the country. . . I tried to dissuade him,” he recalls.
“He had become suicidal, so I wanted him to at least be arrested instead of killing himself, but he didn’t reveal his exact location. Maybe I would have arrived in time.
Nor did Nyanyiwa know that his friend had a gun.
However, he believes that Dzapata misled Murengwa and his relatives should have refused his gifts as the relationship had turned sour.
Repeated efforts to contact Dzapata’s family were unsuccessful. Questions were directed to her unnamed friend, who kept changing dates.
“I’m at work, let’s get in touch after 3 p.m. and meet,” the friend said before postponing until later after 5 p.m.
However, later his phone went unanswered. She then texted, rescheduling the meeting again.
Close sources revealed that Dzapata’s family were against the friendship of the two. They also blame the friend for the way things went.
