IF the statement, “it never rains but pours” ever makes sense, then the case of Tapiwa Makore’s father, Munyaradzi, is the classic example, a case of passing from gloom to doom.
It seems things are not going his way, from the cruel death of his son Tapiwa (8), to finding solace in politics and exercising his right to stand for a council seat in rural Murewa only to suffer defeat at the hands of Zanu PF.
Traumatised by his family members who are involved in the murder of the innocent soul, rejected by his community who most of them know him in the Ward 3 of Murewa Rural District Council (MRDC), Makore could have crossed the paths of the gods of happiness and success. For him, it seems the mortar is just not kissing the brick.
It might be a bleak period for him. It is known the courts passed the death sentence to his son’s killers, his brother Tapiwa (Snr) and a herdboy Tafadzwa Shamba, who were all found guilty of the heinous murder. It is not easy to lose a son in such a way and despite the sentence, which to him is not enough to bring the boy back to life, Makore had to find solace in politics.
Winning as an opposition candidate for this ward was going to heal his wounds. It never happened. He lost in the election and is a bitter man.
“FAZ (Forever Associates of Zimbabwe) intimidated voters, they contributed to me losing in the polls. What do you expect when people are voting while being monitored at a polling station? The votes I got are only from those who were brave,” said Makore.
He is one of the CCC candidates who lost in the countryside, and blamed the existence of FAZ for intimidating voters to the advantage of Zanu PF. Makore was a distant second to the winner Anyway Nheweyembwa (Zanu PF) who polled more than 1 000 votes.
At Chingwaru Business Centre, Makore polled 38 votes while Nheweyembwa had 179. At Chinyani Pre-School, Makore got 55 votes while Zanu PF got 57. The trend continued in two other polling stations in the wards. Makore is a known opposition party supporter in the politically-hostile area of Nyamutumbu.
His son, Tapiwa, was in September 2020 murdered for ritual purposes with the perpetrators chopping his body into pieces. He was buried after six months with his head missing. Reports are that the missing head was taken to Mozambique by the perpetrators for ritual purposes meant to boost their horticultural business.
Makore is now pinning his hope on the current poll challenge by the opposition seeking to overturn the election result and, perhaps, have a fresh poll.
“We will see what will happen, we are waiting for all these processes to clear. I will contest again (if the elections are nullified),” he said.
Asked on his next move if there are no fresh elections, Makore said “I will cross the bridge when I get there. I will decide on my political future or whether I am contesting or not.”
High Court Judge Munamato Mutevedzi could have concluded the Makore murder case by passing a death sentence to his killers, but it is the conclusion of the 2023 elections that could open the wounds of his slain son.
Finding solace in politics has proved futile as, according to him, FAZ snatched away his victory. If the gods of happiness are by his side, Makore could have been elected a councillor in this poverty-stricken ward.
Source Newsday
