By Rex Mphisa
Farai Prosper Longwe aka Mr Grocery’s mother, openly urinated at the gate of the house the couple were living before their untimely death.
Longwe shot dead his wife before turning the gun on himself last Wednesday night.
Reasons for the horrific murder and suicide are still an unsolved mystery.
Both bodies have since been taken for burial, Mr Grocery to Kwekwe and his wife Nyasha Madenyika to Murehwa.
But before removing their remains from the mortuary, relatives of the two met when the owner of their rented accommodation demanded their property be removed from his premises.
The meeting was not as cosy, according to witnesses.
“There was tension that Saturday. Nyasha’s parents made demands saying their child had been murdered and wanted compensation. It is normal in the African tradition. And the tension soon deteriorated into a war of words,” said a neighbour who watched the scenes.
“Hands were flying and Mr Grocery’s mother could be heard asking where she would get that huge amount of money,” said the neighbor.
The exchange of words and flying hands became the order.
Then almost from nowhere Mr Grocery’s mother paced to the centre right at the gate and lifted her dress exposing all her grey private parts and urinated. She send everyone speechless and people began to scatter,” said the witness.
“It happened in broad daylight at about 3:00pm Saturday September 13 after that heated argument. The families began collecting the goods with those from the wife getting what was deemed Nyasha’s belongings,” said another witness.
Some broken things were dumped in front of the house and the sour debate continued but toned down after urine was poured by Mr Grocery’s mother,” said the witness.
Little is known of their burials.
Mr Grocery aka Fatso was known across Beitbridge for his moody lifestyle and had on more than one occasion threatened people with his gun.
He was also known as a jealousy husband who was easily irritable and did not tolerate anyone staying long in his shops.
While some people believe he had been a successful businessman once, some who worked close to him believed he had voodoo operations ordinarily referred to as “kuromba”.
Kuromba” refers to the act of engaging in a spiritual contract or pact, often involving a spiritual entity (like a goblin or snake), in exchange for wealth, success, or other desires.
The person performing “kuromba” sacrifices something, possibly their soul or body, and adheres to specific conditions set by the entity.
While the term itself can also mean “to ask” in other languages, in the context of Zimbabwean discussions, it refers to these supernatural pacts.
“My girlfriend who used to work for him told never again to buy even bread from that shop. She said the shop would mysteriously restock. They would find the shop full in the morning despite knocking off late. All shelves would be packed, she said,” the man said.
If beaten at the pool betting Mr Grocery was known to be violent and would bring his gun demanding money lost in bets.