Harare – A chilling tale of grave robbing and desecration has unfolded in Harare, exposing a nine-year operation at Restland Memorial Park, a private cemetery situated along Kirkman Road.
The arrest of Edwin Muronzi, the cemetery owner, and three grave diggers has revealed a shocking pattern of illegal exhumations, the disposal of human remains, and the subsequent resale of the desecrated graves to unsuspecting bereaved families.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), through its national spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi, confirmed the arrests.
“The ZRP confirms the arrest of Edwin Muronzi, Tinashe Chiguma (32), Moses Gwanya (19) and Kudakwashe Humure (31) in connection with massive violation of approximately 380 graves and corpses at Restland Memorial Park, Rainham, Harare, between 2015 and 2024,” Nyathi stated.
The sheer scale of the alleged crime has sent shockwaves through the community, raising serious questions about the oversight and regulation of private cemeteries.
The investigation began with an unusual confession. Tinashe Chiguma, one of the arrested grave diggers, reported experiencing disturbing visions and nightmares.
“On 4 December 2024, police arrested Tinashe Chiguma after he made a report that he had been experiencing visions of dead people requesting to know the whereabouts of their relatives,” explained Commissioner Nyathi.
Chiguma’s account implicated Muronzi and revealed a systematic pattern of grave robbing carried out under the cover of darkness.
According to police, the operation involved the exhumation of hundreds of bodies. “The gravediggers received instructions from Muronzi to dig the graves to pave the way for new graves and subsequent burials,” said Nyathi.
The workers would then remove human skeletal remains and any accompanying traditional artefacts, packing them into empty cement bags before disposing of them in a dam trench near the cemetery.
“They would also dispose of the traditional artefacts buried with the bodies. Muronzi and his team would then resell the graves to new clients to bury their late relatives without suspecting anything after cleaning and rearranging the used graves,” Nyathi added. This callous disregard for the deceased and the feelings of the bereaved families is particularly egregious.
The financial incentive for this horrific enterprise was relatively modest. Each grave digger received US$15 to US$20 per grave, a paltry sum considering the gravity of their actions. This suggests a highly organised operation, with Muronzi likely profiting significantly from the resale of the graves. The fact that the operation spanned nine years indicates a sophisticated level of planning and execution, raising concerns about potential complicity from other individuals.
Three additional suspects, only identified as Kevy, Shumba, and Dread, remain at large. Their apprehension is crucial to a complete understanding of the operation and to bring all those responsible to justice. The police investigation is ongoing, with a team from the ZRP, including forensic specialists, working to identify the disturbed graves and, where possible, the identities of the exhumed remains. This is a complex and time-consuming process, but it is essential to bring closure to the families affected by this heinous crime.
Further details emerged from other sources, shedding more light on the operation’s origins. H-Metro reported that Muronzi took over a previously used piece of land, employing casual labourers to clear the area. It was during this clearing that the workers encountered existing graves, marking the beginning of the exhumations in 2015.
One of Muronzi’s employees, Life Chiguma (Tinashe Chiguma’s aunt’s son), who served as the cemetery manager, employed Tinashe as a grave digger. Tinashe’s subsequent nightmares, which began in February of this year, played a crucial role in bringing the operation to light.
His decision to seek spiritual help and eventually report the matter to the police ultimately led to the arrests and the exposure of this long-running scheme.
