Newton Kachepa - MP Mudzi North

Newton Kachepa is a Zanu PF MP for Mudzi North, he organised and sponsored most of the violent persecution of MDC supporters in Mudzi District. Many people in the whole of Mudzi district his supporters included, fear him. Kachepa is notorious for his ruthlessness when dealing with those who dare cross paths with him. Sources close to him noted that Newten Kachepa whose real name is Trust Kachepa hoodwinked Zanu PF into believing that he is one of their trusted war veterans, yet Trust Kachepa is impersonating his late war veteran brother Newten Kachepa who perished during the war of liberation. His viciousness is probably due to the fact that Trust Kachepa (aka Newten Kachepa) would not want to give his Zanu PF masters any chance to doubt his patriotism and commitment to the liberation movement. Amongst the multitude of political violence cases in which Newten Kachepa was mentioned the following details heart rending events were recorded.

On the night of 14 April 2008 xxx was viciously assaulted by a group of Zanu PF youths and war veterans under the command of MP Newten Kachepa in Chirapu village, Vhombozi area in Mudzi district. They kicked and bashed him using stones and iron bars whilst his wife and children watched helplessly, the group left him for dead after brutalizing him for quite a long time. They only discovered much to their amazement that he was still alive when his brave wife attempted to take him to the clinic the following night. They intercepted her at Vhombozi river and ordered her to go back home leaving her husband behind.

They took him to a Zanu PF torture base that was known as Magwada where a well known local Zanu PF official Mrs Kangora supplied a pesticide that he was forced to drink but he did not die. Beauty Nyamatsoma  tried to poison him again by forcing him to drink rat poison but this still failed to kill him. Lovemore Chirapu then stabbed him three times into his ribs with a spear but he continued breathing and he did not die. Dudzai Chirapu struck him with an axe, the first attempt shattered his shoulder another one went deep into his neck and the third one smashed his head thus delivering the final blow that killed him. Mudzi North MP Newten Kachepa then paid Dudzai Chirapu Z$12 billion as reward money he had promised to give to anyone who would kill xxx, an MDC supporter in the area.

The Zanu PF militia group then buried xxx in a shallow grave in the village. After shoving the body into a jute bag provided by Enock Chimusemu. Jacob Bonde provided his ox-drawn cart that ferried the body to the burial site. After the burial Shepherd Arumenda burnt down xxx’s entire homestead.

Around mid October in 2009 xxx relatives were informed that xxx had been killed and buried in the village, but the shallow grave had opened up and his remains were now exposed. His brothers and sons then decided to exhume his remains and take them home to Chipinge for proper burial; they then approached Chief Mukota for assistance. The chief contacted the village head Chirapu Chirapu who subsequently showed them the secluded place where xxx had been interred.  His sons and brothers reported that there were four other unmarked graves at the site and nobody knows who lies in these pits. Procedures for the exhumation of the late xxx’s body were initiated through the chief and the work was successfully done under the supervision of the Ministry of Health , in the presence of the District administrator , the police (ZRP) and the department of the President’s office (CIO). His remains were taken to Chipinge to be buried amongst his people; Chief Mukota offered his truck that was used to transport the coffin. His ruthless killers including Newten Kachepa are known but the police remained silent over the events leading to his death nor did they query the presence of these other forgotten four sorrowful mounts of soil.

April 29, 2008

Newten Kachepa was personally involved in the murder of  xxx on 29 April 2008. They beat him till he died at Vhombozi Primary School. Newton Kachepa with the assistance of Jivas Chiutsi buried him in a shallow grave in Makaza Village cemetery.  His relatives were not informed.

April 27, 2008

Newton Kachepa in the company of Zanu PF youths and uniformed soldiers killed xxx and xxx on April 27 2008. These two MDC activist were assaulted till they died in Nyagupe Village Mudzi.

July 17, 2008

Newton Kachepa organised and led the group of Zanu PF youths who attacked xxx on 17 July 2008; Newton Kachepa was present when xxx was viciously assaulted.  xxx  later died from the wounds at a private Clinic in Harare on July 25 2008.

June 28, 2008

On June 28 2008 a group of militia led by Newten Kachepa abducted xxx to Nyamanyora Base. At the base he was assaulted by war veterans Nyamaromo, Mangwende and other Zanu PF supporters. He was released after some days but never recovered from the injuries he passed away later in 2008.

June 1, 2008

Zanu PF militia traveling in Newten Kachepa’s truck abducted xxx from his home in the Nyamanyora area. They took him to Nyahondo base where they assaulted and tortured him. He died a week after his release. Newton Kachepa and Tawanda Mazunze led the assaults and torture.