Two Jailed 20 Years for Fatal Bigboom Mine Assault

Gweru— Peter Chikanya and Shelton Ngwenya have each been sentenced to an effective 20 years in prison for the August 2022 murder of 25-year-old Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) soldier, Misheck Makuvaza, at Bigboom Mine Compound in Kwekwe.

​The two were convicted of murder after the High Court established that the State had proved beyond reasonable doubt their direct participation in the violent mob assault that left the young serviceman with a fatal stab wound to the thigh.

​Bulawayo High Court Judge, Justice Naison Chivayo, handed down the sentences after assessing the aggravating circumstances surrounding the killing, key eyewitness accounts placing both men at the scene; and medical testimony confirming Makuvaza died from hypovolemic shock due to massive blood loss.

The court heard that on August 26, 2022, at around 11pm, Makuvaza was off-duty and drinking at a tuckshop at Bigboom Mine Compound when a violent altercation broke out between Dingani Bhamala and another patron.

Makuvaza stepped in to diffuse the situation and stopping Bhamala from assaulting the patron.

The situation quickly escalated into a mob attack against the soldier.

State prosecutors proved that Bhamala and his accomplices turned aggressively on Makuvaza.

Donemore Mpofu produced a Columbia knife, while Chikanya brandished a kitchen knife.

The group manhandled the soldier and forcibly dragged him into a dark area.

Witnesses testified that Makuvaza’s desperate pleas for help could be heard throughout the compound as the group beat him.

Mpofu then stabbed Makuvaza once in the thigh with the Columbia knife before the assailants fled, leaving him bleeding heavily on the ground.

The injured soldier was initially rushed to 5 Brigade Hospital before being transferred to Kwekwe General Hospital, where he died the following day.

A post-mortem conducted on August 29, 2022, by Dr. Juana Rodriguez Gregori confirmed the cause of death.

Justice Chivayo evaluated eyewitness accounts alongside the accused persons' statements, police indication reports and the medical evidence.

One witness testified that she saw Chikanya, Ngwenya and their accomplices armed and actively participating in the attack on the soldier.

The judge noted that the witness remained steadfast under cross-examination regarding the presence and involvement of both men.

Another state witness similarly placed both accused at the scene, detailing the sequence of events leading to Makuvaza being dragged away.

The court rejected the defense arguments and denials presented by Chikanya and Ngwenya, ruling that their conduct and the violent circumstances surrounding the assault clearly established the legal intent required for a murder conviction.

The verdict closes a long chapter in a complex investigation into the soldier's death.

While accomplices Dingani and Danmore Mpofu were arrested earlier and sentenced to 23 years each in January 2026, Chikanya and Ngwenya evaded initial capture.

Chikanya was later tracked down and arrested in Bulawayo, while Ngwenya was apprehended in Zhombe.

Following the sentencing, members of the public attending the Gweru High Court circuit praised the prosecution's thorough handling of the high-profile case, specifically highlighting Senior State Prosecutor Chipo Hungwe.

Zibagwe Rural District Council Ward 33 Councillor, Forget Nyamudyambanje, commended Hungwe’s trial preparation and courtroom arguments.