Fugitive nabbed after three years on the run

Yeukai Karengezeka

Court Correspondent

A MAN from Harare, who was part of a gang accused of fatally assaulting another man in 2022, has been arrested after three years on the run.

Witmore Nyamadzawo (19), appeared in court yesterday facing charges of murder and was remanded in custody to January 21. He was not asked to plead and advised to apply for bail at the High Court. Nyamadzawo, along with two accomplices, Prosper Chijaka and Mike Kholowa who remain at large, allegedly attacked the victim during a violent altercation at Budiriro 5 Current shops in the early hours of January 13, 2022. 

According to the State, at around 3am, Nyamadzawo and his co-accused assaulted the victim, whose name has not been disclosed in court papers, using a metal chain. The victim was struck on the left side of the head and repeatedly beaten. The brutal attack left the victim with severe head injuries, bruises on his left shoulder, and multiple injuries to both legs.

Despite the severity of the injuries, no medical help was sought, and the victim succumbed to his wounds just four hours later, at around 7am, while still lying injured at the scene of the assault. 

A murder docket was promptly opened after the incident, but Nyamadzawo evaded justice for nearly three years. His alleged accomplices, Chijaka and Kholowa, have also been on the run since the day of the attack. 

Law enforcement authorities continued their investigations, eventually tracking down Nyamadzawo, who was arrested earlier this week.

However, the search for his accomplices is ongoing. 

Nyamadzawo appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Court, where the charges against him were formally read.

The State has vowed to bring all those responsible for the crime to justice, with efforts to locate the other suspects being intensified.

The case has been adjourned to allow further investigations. 

 The arrest of Nyamadzawo offers a glimmer of hope for justice in a case that has remained unresolved for years. The victim’s family, who have been waiting for answers since the tragic incident, may finally see the wheels of justice begin to turn. 

The State has called on anyone with information on the whereabouts of the other suspects to come forward, urging the public to assist in ensuring that all those involved in the crime are held accountable.