Zim/Africa true crime stories

10/03/2026

From A student to a serial murde_er

The story of Bright Zhantali

Bright Gift Zhantali was born in Chiweshe to a painter who died in 1998 when Bright was only eight years old. After his father’s death, he was raised by his widowed mother, Margaret Mawungira. His name, Bright Gift, seemed to reflect the promise he showed from an early age.

He attended St Albans, an Anglican Church-run school in Chiweshe, where he proved to be an outstanding student. In 2007, he sat for eight O-Level subjects and achieved seven A’s and one B — the best results recorded at the school at that time.

After completing his studies, Zhantali returned to his former school, St Albans, where he worked as a teacher, teaching Mathematics and Science.

Over time, however, his life began to change. He gradually drifted into crime, initially engaging in petty theft around Glendale before escalating to housebreaking. In 2012, he was arrested and convicted of housebreaking and theft. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but managed to escape after serving five years of his sentence.

According to his sister, Benhilda, Zhantali was an intelligent man who seemed remorseful after his release from prison. Speaking to Jackie Gwemende in the documentary Two Faces of Evil, she said she gave him refuge at her home in Glendale because he appeared determined to rebuild his life.

During this period, Zhantali met a woman named Silent. The two fell in love, and he proposed to her. They later began living together in Mabvuku, where he appeared to be living a normal life as a husband.

However, on 21 June 2021, Zhantali committed his first known mur_er without his wife’s knowledge. He lured a 45-year-old vendor, Nester “Kedha” Chikwengo, from Whitehouse to Lake Chivero by posing as a Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority worker and promising to sell her fish. In a bushy area, he allegedly r***d her and robbed her of US$30 and her cellphone before kil_ing her.

On 2 July 2021, Zhantali attempted to lure another vendor using the same method. However, the vendors became suspicious and carried out a citizen’s arrest in Whitehouse. He was taken to court and placed in remand prison.

While in remand, Zhantali managed to process his own bail application. His mother paid Z$15,000 for his release, and he was granted bail.

After regaining his freedom, he embarked on what investigators later described as a reign of terror. Zhantali ra__ and murd__ numerous women across several locations including Marondera, Mutare, Glendale, and Goromonzi. Some of his victims were attacked while praying in secluded bush areas, while others — including s*x workers — were lured to isolated places or rented apartments where he strangled them. In some cases, he set their bodies on fire.

Marondera recorded the highest number of unaliving people attributed to him. In a disturbing twist, Zhantali sometimes attended the funerals of his victims while continuing to maintain the appearance of a normal family life. He occasionally visited his wife in Mabvuku and collected rent from a tenant at his property in Concession.

Investigators later discovered that Zhantali sometimes used his victims’ phones to call his wife, known as Mai Kenny. This mistake ultimately led to his capture. Police traced the last numbers dialed on several victims’ phones to his wife, Silent, and set up an ambush that resulted in his arrest.

In a memorandum released on 19 March 2022, police linked Zhantali to seven confirmed victims: Mercy Simairi (28) of Progress Farm in Marondera; Chipo Gwese (40) of Hwedza; Betty Mlambo (43) of Dombotombo, Marondera; Neria Maringe (44) of Grasslands Farm, Marondera; Maggie Kaomba (61) of Cherutombo, Marondera; Patricia Tsoka (49) of Chawatama Hardware, Marondera; and one unidentified female victim.

Overall, Zhantali confessed to unaliving 24 women, although investigations into some of the murde__ are still ongoing.

The trauma caused by his crimes left deep scars on many families and communities. His sister, Benhilda, publicly apologised to the victims’ families, saying: “As a family, we would like to apologise to the families and relatives of those who lost their loved ones. We are very sorry.”

In March 2024, Zhantali was declared mentally unfit to stand trial and was admitted to the psychiatric unit at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.

10/03/2026

08/03/2026

In early May 2018, Bridget Makaza travelled to South Africa, where she acquired a .38 Amadeo Rossi revolver whose serial numbers had been erased. The weapon would later be used in the killing of her husband, MaCloud Zvavovaviri Mapanga, a prominent businessman and owner of Kurai Coaches.

In the early hours of May 14, 2018, at around 3:00 a.m., Makaza shot her husband three times while he was asleep at their matrimonial home in Belvedere, Harare. One bullet struck him on the right shoulder, another hit him above the left shoulder, and a third grazed his neck before penetrating the right shoulder. The injuries caused severe internal damage, including lung and liver ruptures, leading to traumatic shock and ultimately his death.

After the shooting, Makaza attempted to conceal the crime by staging a robbery. She told authorities that armed intruders had broken into the house, shot her husband, and stolen US$12,000 from a wardrobe in their home. In the aftermath of the incident, she drove alone to a swampy area where she disposed of the revolver and the latex gloves she had worn during the shooting. She then went to Mabelreign Police Station to report the alleged robbery.

Police investigations soon exposed inconsistencies in her story. Investigators found no signs of forced entry at the house. Forensic ballistic tests later confirmed that the bullets recovered from Mapanga’s body had been fired from the same revolver Makaza had discarded. Acting on her indications, police were able to recover both the firearm and the gloves.

During the investigation and trial, Makaza presented a different account of events. She claimed she had endured years of emotional and physical abuse from her husband, including repeated assaults, forced intimacy, infidelity, and psychological trauma. According to her testimony, the fatal shooting occurred during a violent confrontation in which her husband accused her of witchcraft and threatened to kill her. She said a struggle broke out over a firearm and that the three shots were accidentally discharged during the altercation. Makaza also alleged that her confession had been obtained through torture and denied purchasing the firearm in South Africa. The court ultimately rejected her defence.

After being placed on remand, Makaza was granted bail but later fled to the United Kingdom. She remained outside the country for several years before returning to Zimbabwe, where she was re-arrested in December 2024.

The case attracted widespread public attention in Zimbabwe due to Mapanga’s prominence in the transport industry. Evidence presented during the trial convinced the High Court that the killing had been premeditated and carried out with actual intent to kill.

High Court Judge Justice Emelia Muchawa ruled that Makaza had deliberately murdered her husband in a calculated act at their Harare home. Following the conclusion of the trial, the court sentenced Bridget Makaza to 27 years in prison for the crime.

The ruling brought an end to a high-profile case that had gripped the nation and cast a shadow over the family and the operations of Kurai Coaches. Legal analysts noted that the lengthy sentence reflected the court’s strong stance against premeditated domestic murder. Makaza’s legal team had not immediately indicated whether they would appeal the High Court’s decision.

08/03/2026

In early May 2018, Bridget Makaza travelled to South Africa, where she acquired a .38 Amadeo Rossi revolver whose serial numbers had been erased. The weapon would later be used in the killing of her husband, MaCloud Zvavovaviri Mapanga, a prominent businessman and owner of Kurai Coaches.

In the early hours of May 14, 2018, at around 3:00 a.m., Makaza shot her husband three times while he was asleep at their matrimonial home in Belvedere, Harare. One bullet struck him on the right shoulder, another hit him above the left shoulder, and a third grazed his neck before penetrating the right shoulder. The injuries caused severe internal damage, including lung and liver ruptures, leading to traumatic shock and ultimately his death.

After the shooting, Makaza attempted to conceal the crime by staging a robbery. She told authorities that armed intruders had broken into the house, shot her husband, and stolen US$12,000 from a wardrobe in their home. In the aftermath of the incident, she drove alone to a swampy area where she disposed of the revolver and the latex gloves she had worn during the shooting. She then went to Mabelreign Police Station to report the alleged robbery.

Police investigations soon exposed inconsistencies in her story. Investigators found no signs of forced entry at the house. Forensic ballistic tests later confirmed that the bullets recovered from Mapanga’s body had been fired from the same revolver Makaza had discarded. Acting on her indications, police were able to recover both the firearm and the gloves.

During the investigation and trial, Makaza presented a different account of events. She claimed she had endured years of emotional and physical abuse from her husband, including repeated assaults, forced intimacy, infidelity, and psychological trauma. According to her testimony, the fatal shooting occurred during a violent confrontation in which her husband accused her of witchcraft and threatened to kill her. She said a struggle broke out over a firearm and that the three shots were accidentally discharged during the altercation. Makaza also alleged that her confession had been obtained through torture and denied purchasing the firearm in South Africa. The court ultimately rejected her defence.

After being placed on remand, Makaza was granted bail but later fled to the United Kingdom. She remained outside the country for several years before returning to Zimbabwe, where she was re-arrested in December 2024.

The case attracted widespread public attention in Zimbabwe due to Mapanga’s prominence in the transport industry. Evidence presented during the trial convinced the High Court that the killing had been premeditated and carried out with actual intent to kill.

High Court Judge Justice Emelia Muchawa ruled that Makaza had deliberately murdered her husband in a calculated act at their Harare home. Following the conclusion of the trial, the court sentenced Bridget Makaza to 27 years in prison for the crime.

The ruling brought an end to a high-profile case that had gripped the nation and cast a shadow over the family and the operations of Kurai Coaches. Legal analysts noted that the lengthy sentence reflected the court’s strong stance against premeditated domestic murder. Makaza’s legal team had not immediately indicated whether they would appeal the High Court’s decision.