He is alleged to have shot and killed people in one day in the Wedza area, in Mashonaland East Province in January 2023.
The people he murdered were the ZRP Officer in Charge for Wedza, a local apostolic faith prophet, and a bartender.
Muvevi was arrested on the morning of Monday, 16 January 2023 after being on the run for three days.
Muvevi grew up in Ruzane village in the Gombwe area in Hwedza. He did his secondary education at St Mathias Ruswa and wrote his Ordinary Level examinations in 1999.
Those who grew up with him, including two of his classmates at St Mathias Ruswa, Edward Musengeyi and Netsai Tiriboyi said he was a cool person who didn’t have any problems with anyone.
Musengeyi is the father to Munashe Majanhi (20) who was shot dead by Muvevi at Mukamba Business Centre.
He said they were not friends and were never enemies and they never once exchanged bad words.
Tiriboyi is a niece to Madzibaba Sirage (Crispen Kanerusine) who was shot dead by Muvevi at his shrine where he was ministering to his congregants. Tiriboyi was at the shrine when the shooting took place.
On 13 January for reasons yet unclear, Jaison Muvevi drove to a Mapostori church shrine where his mother was in attendance together with other congregants.
At the shrine, he shot the prophet and leader of the shrine, Chrispen Kaneritsine, at close range killing him instantly.
Witnesses at the church claim that his mother, shocked at the murder, retorted “What have you done my son?”
Muvevi then told the church gathering to leave the shrine. He later proceeded to Wedza business centre where he was intercepted by the police but he shot and killed the police Officer in Charge, Inspector Maxwell Hove. He also shot and injured another officer.
After the incident, he escaped and went to a shopping centre where he shot and killed a male shop attendant. The motive for the murder was not immediately ascertained.
ZRP later released a statement:
SHOOTING OF FOUR PEOPLE IN WEDZA
The Zimbabwe Republic Police is urgently appealing for information which may immediately lead to the arrest of a suspect who is driving a Toyota Allion, new shape, white in colour, registration number AFW 7641.
The suspect went to an apostolic sect church gathering in Wedza today at 1430 hours and fatally shot dead a prophet. He then pounced on police officers who had reacted to the shooting and suddenly shot dead Officer in Charge Wedza and another policeman (who is critically injured).
The suspect drove his vehicle and went to Mukamba Business Centre where he shot another person dead and drove away. The suspect is currently on the run and the public is urged to approach him with extreme caution.
The public is urged to report at any nearest police station possible location of the suspect or contact National Complaints Desk number 0242 703631 or WhatsApp number 0712800197 or Mashonaland East Operations number 06523 20581
(NYATHI. P) Assistant Commissioner
Senior Staff Officer (Press and Public Relations)
to the Commissioner General of Police
Police General Headquarters
On the next day, Police announced that Muvevi had been intercepted in Rusape in the Chiduku area and that he had managed to escape arrest after a shootout with the police.
Muvevi was reported to have abandoned his Toyota Allion vehicle and escaped on foot.
The police recovered a firearm, an FN rifle, he had seized the previous day after shooting a police officer dead.
Muvevi hid in a toilet at Asei Game Park and the thickets around Mutare Boys’ High School as he evaded the detectives that were pursuing him on Sunday.
In Mutare, Muvevi bought a new blue work-suit from Wasu Shopping Mall for ZWL$14 250 using EcoCash.
It was the worksuit he was wearing when he was arrested in Mozambique the following day.
After buying the work-suit, he boarded a Marymount-bound pirate taxi, resulting in him ending up at Mutare Boys’ High School en route to Mozambique.
He visited the school’s compound barefooted and lied that he was on a mission to kill the marauding baboons in the area.
Muvevi confronted Zvikomborero Mangorwa soon after she emerged from the shower and violently knocked on her family’s door and demanded that all the occupants should move out.
He then asked for food and also produced a US$10 bill and asked Mangorwa to buy him a road-runner chicken to prepare a meal for him. She said she refused after realising that he was armed.
Muvevi didn’t know where he was, and when told he was at Mutare Boys’ High School, he asked for directions to Mozambique.
But before he left, he also confronted Mangorwa’s sister when she came back home.
He told her he was on a mission to kill baboons as he had heard that they were a menace in the area, saying the shots he had fired were meant to scare away the baboons.
Muvevi said he wanted food and told the woman that he was prepared to cook his own food, but she refused.
He then left when he realised that some people were coming to the house.
Raphel Nyahwema said he narrowly escaped death after Muvevi fired three shots towards him from less than 10 metres after he had tried to pick up a hoe handle on realising that he was armed.
Nyahwema said Muvevi had asked him to cook food for him but he refused.
One of the bullets that missed Nyahwema perforated a geyser tank pitched at the staff quarters.
After his arrest, Muvevi told the police that he crossed into Mozambique at night before hiring a motorcyclist to ferry him to Chimoio.
The cyclist, who was filmed narrating his encounter with Muvevi, said he was offered US$200 to ferry him to Chimoio. Said the cyclist.
Muvevi approached me and asked for a ride to Chimoio. He said he would pay me US$200.
I realised that he had a gun after he pulled it out and pointed it on my back while he was seated on my bike.
By then the police were following me, but I evaded them in Manica town.
At one point I had convinced myself to take the risk of ferrying him to Chimoio. His offer of US$200 was too tempting for me.
I later convinced him to board a kombi since there would be many people in the kombi.
If he had insisted I had planned to jump off the motorbike at the police check point after Manica town and leave Muvevi to crush.
He paid me for my services using our metical currency. He said he is a criminal in Zimbabwe and not Mozambique.
Jaison Muvevi was arrested on the morning of 16 November in Mozambique. He had crossed into the country after being on the run since the Saturday shootout.
Muvevi was arrested by Mozambican police in the Manica Province just a few minutes after crossing into the country.
On 17 January, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) confirmed Muvevi’s extradition from Mozambique.
He was initially taken to Mutare before he was ferried to Harare ahead of his court appearance.
It was initially reported that Mozambican police refused to hand over Muvevi to their Zimbabwean counterparts because they wanted hin to be tried there for the illegal possession of firearms.
However, detectives managed to bring Muvevi back to Zimbabwe on 17 January after some formalities had been completed.
Muvevi made his first court appearance on 18 January at the Harare Magistrates Court before Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi.
The Investigating Officer in the matter, detective Pikisai Chikwazo, said they wanted more time to travel to Wedza for indications and to interview him.
The court granted the request and released Muvevi into the custody of detectives.
Identity of his victims
- Inspector Maxwell Hove (aged 43) – shot and killed on 13 January 2023 in Wedza in a shootout after attempting to arrest Muvevi.
- Detective Constable Mugova – was shot on 13 January in the company of Maxwell Hove and other officers. He was injured and hospitalised.
- Crispen Mubvana Kanerusine (aged 62) – a self-styled prophet and leader of a Mapostori sect, Mubvana was shot and killed by Muvevi on 13 January 2023 at his church gathering Mubvana and died immediately.
- Munashe Mujanhi (aged 20) – a bartender in Wedza
In other news,
Man guns down Madzibaba, Wedza Officer-in-Charge
An ex-police officer is on the run after shooting and killing a prophet at a shrine before killing the officer in charge of Wedza Police Station on Friday afternoon.
“The suspect went to an apostolic sect church gathering in Wedza today at 2.30pm and fatally shot a prophet.
“He then pounced on police officers who had reacted to the shooting and shot dead Officer-in-Charge Wedza and another…continue reading
