7 people murdered in Harare, including 12-year-old boy who was killed near Mukuvisi river, Police ask for help

Police seek identities of 7 unidentified murder victims in Harare mortuaries, including boy found near Mukuvisi River

Police have appealed to the public to help identify seven people whose bodies are lying in mortuaries in Harare and Chitungwiza after separate murder cases recorded over the past 15 months.

Among the unidentified victims is a boy believed to be between 12 and 13 years old who was found dead in a pumpkin field behind Zororo Bar, close to the Mukuvisi River, on October 11, 2025.

His body is being held at Sally Mugabe Hospital Mortuary, where investigators hope a parent, relative or someone who knew him will recognise the description and come forward.

The seven victims were found between June 2025 and May 2026. Their bodies are currently being kept at Sally Mugabe Hospital, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals and Chitungwiza Hospital mortuaries as police work to establish their identities and trace their families.

Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the cases were being treated as murder investigations and urged families with missing relatives to check whether any of the descriptions matched those of their loved ones.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police is investigating cases involving unidentified murder victims and is appealing to members of the public for information which may assist in establishing their identities,” police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said.

The second victim is a woman believed to be between 24 and 27 years old. She was found dead at Pioneer Cemetery in Mbare, Harare, on September 23, 2025.

Police said she was barefoot and wearing a maroon top and skirt when her body was discovered. She is being held at Sally Mugabe Hospital Mortuary.

A man aged between 25 and 35 was found dead along Baines Avenue in Harare on April 29, 2026. He was wearing a brown, striped cream jersey and a blue T-shirt. His body is at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals Mortuary.

Another man, believed to be about 30 years old, was found dead in Damafalls Phase 1, Ruwa, in April 2026. He was wearing black boxer shorts and his body is being kept at Parirenyatwa.

The fifth victim was a man believed to be about 25 years old. He was found beside a durawall in a grassy area at the corner of Conald and Bell Streets in the Graniteside Industrial Area, Harare, on July 5, 2025.

He was wearing a khaki jacket, black trousers and white sneakers. His body is at Sally Mugabe Hospital Mortuary.

A man believed to be about 30 years old was found dead along a dust road in Muguta, Epworth, Harare, on June 14, 2025. He was wearing a black Puma tracksuit, a cream T-shirt, white shorts and black socks. His body is being held at Chitungwiza Hospital Mortuary.

The seventh victim was a man whose body was found at a makeshift shack in a bushy area at Eddie Pfugari Properties in Brookdale, Bindura, on May 26, 2026. He is being held at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals Mortuary.

Police have not said that the deaths are connected, and the victims were found in different places and at different times. The appeal is aimed at helping investigators put names to the bodies so that families can be informed and the murder inquiries can move forward.

“Members of the public who have relatives reported missing and who may fit the descriptions above” should visit the relevant hospitals or contact police for assistance with identification, Nyathi said.

People with information can contact the National Complaints Desk on 0242 703 631 or send information by WhatsApp to 0712 800 197.

The appeal comes as police and the courts continue dealing with a number of violent robbery cases in which people have been killed during attacks or murder charges have followed alleged armed robberies.

In one of the latest cases, Daniel Munyanyi was sentenced to 72 years in prison after being convicted on six counts of armed robbery. The sentence was imposed in March 2026 after a series of attacks in which firearms were used and victims were robbed of money, vehicles and other property.

Munyanyi also appeared in court on two murder charges linked to the deaths of Detective Sergeant Bernard Chimbeke and Detective Constable Casper Antonio McKenzie Chitsowe. The two detectives, who were attached to the Criminal Investigations Department’s Homicide Division in Harare, were allegedly shot while attempting to arrest him in connection with the armed robbery cases.

When he appeared in court, Munyanyi said: “I was possessed by evil spirits. I would only realise after committing the offence.”

The murder case was sent to the High Court, while the 72-year sentence related to the six armed robbery counts. Police have continued investigations into the alleged killings and the wider robbery network linked to the case.

In another robbery-related murder case, Harare brothers William Boka, 39, and Kudakwashe Boka, 32, were sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of murder by the High Court of Zimbabwe.

The brothers shot and killed a man who returned home on August 18, 2020, without knowing that a robbery was taking place. The victim walked into the robbery and was shot dead instantly. The two men were later arrested, tried and convicted in a case that ended with life sentences being imposed on both of them.

A separate case in Beitbridge involved Quinton Sibanda, 18, and Kamuelo Moyo, 20, who were each sentenced to life imprisonment by the Bulawayo High Court after being convicted of murder.

The two men attacked a woman as she walked to a church service. They robbed her of her cellphone before taking turns to rape her. They then strangled her and repeatedly stabbed her with an Okapi knife. Her body was dragged about 15 metres from the footpath and concealed before the men fled.

Sibanda and Moyo were arrested on May 9, 2025. They were later brought before the High Court, where both were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on June 3, 2026.

The cases have placed fresh attention on attacks in which robbery has been followed by extreme violence. In some incidents, suspects have been arrested and taken to court, while in others the courts have handed down lengthy prison terms after convictions.

The police appeal in Harare now depends heavily on information from the public. Missing-person reports, old photographs, clothing details and knowledge of where someone was last seen could assist detectives in matching the unidentified bodies with families searching for relatives.

For the boy found near the Mukuvisi River, the clothing and location may be particularly important to anyone who remembers a child who disappeared in October last year. The same applies to the woman found at Pioneer Cemetery and the five men discovered in Harare, Ruwa, Epworth and Bindura.

Police are asking anyone who may recognise the descriptions, or who has information about the circumstances in which the victims died, to make contact without delay. The identities of the seven people remain unknown, but investigators are hoping that members of the public will provide the information needed to return their names to them and bring their families answers.