Tinotenda Hove – The nation was left stunned after the horrific murder of 25 people in Guruve, an incident that has left deep scars on the community.

On Friday, First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa personally visited Anymore Zvitsva, the alleged serial killer, at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison in Harare, in a bid to confront the man behind the shocking killings.

The attacks sent waves of trauma through Guruve, forcing some families to abandon their homes as they struggled to cope with the aftermath. Inside Zimbabwe’s most secure prison, Dr Mnangagwa, visibly shaken, met with Zvitsva, seeking to understand the mind of the man responsible for the brutal crimes. She had previously visited the affected families in Guruve, witnessing firsthand the toll the murders had taken.

“I was deeply troubled in my mind before deciding to see Zvitsva face to face,” Dr Mnangagwa said. “The execution of these murders was so shocking that entire communities have left their homesteads. I felt it was necessary to hear from the horse’s mouth.”

Seated in a wheelchair, Zvitsva recounted his grisly acts in detail. He described cooking and consuming human flesh, cutting off body parts—including breasts, which he claimed he sold to a local miner for rituals—and giving victims’ blood to self-styled prophets.

He admitted to burning some remains to ashes and even mixing them with cooking oil for use as a lotion in fortune-telling, while some ashes were used in constructing a shop, based on beliefs that it would bring wealth.

Zvitsva detailed the weapons he used—knives, spears, and axes—and explained how he eluded both law enforcement and villagers by walking barefoot and avoiding roads to prevent being traced.

When asked why he was arrested, Zvitsva admitted without hesitation: “I committed crimes of killing people, rape and robberies in Guruve, Zimbabwe.”

Dr Mnangagwa pressed him for details about his first killing. Zvitsva described it as initially a theft that spiraled into murder.

“It’s hard for me to understand how I started this,” he said. “I was hungry and went to break into a home looking for food. There was no one, so I stole about 10 kilograms of mealie-meal. I returned later that evening, thinking the woman might have cash. Around 10 pm, I knocked, and when she asked who it was, I replied that she had been robbed.”

He recounted how the encounter escalated: the woman confronted him, and fearing her power, he attacked her with a knife. “That is when I realised I had stabbed someone. This was when my journey of killing people began in 2024,” he said.

Zvitsva also described how fear and compulsion drove him to commit further murders, including killing his niece and her young child, tying them and disposing of their bodies.

He detailed gruesome rituals, such as cutting body parts for supposed magical purposes, and confessed to giving blood to prophets in exchange for money.

“The evil spirit started after my first killing and never left me,” he admitted. He said he avoided being caught by hiding in forests and walking along paths in a way that left no trace.

Despite his horrific confessions, Zvitsva expressed remorse to the First Lady and the nation. “I am Anymore Zvitsva from Guruve. I committed heinous crimes. I killed women, children and other men. May you have mercy for all my wrongdoings.

I am trying to understand how I ended up doing these things. To all the families I wronged, may you please find it in your hearts to forgive me. Even to you, First Lady, His Excellency the President and the entire nation, I am sorry for my deeds. Find it in your hearts to forgive me.”

During the visit, Zvitsva repeatedly sought forgiveness, while Dr Mnangagwa inquired what sentence he thought would be appropriate. “I have nothing to say. It is up to the State, which knows,” he replied.

For the people of Guruve, the anguish remains. Even as Zvitsva pleads for forgiveness, families continue to live with the trauma and loss caused by his brutal acts, searching for some measure of peace amid the lingering grief.