A local family in Kwekwe is desperately seeking help in finding their missing father, 71-year-old Mr Witness Chimanikire, who was last seen on Monday, October 7th.
Concerned family members and friends have organized search parties and have been searching the area around Kwekwe, Redcliff, Gokwe, Zhombe, Kadoma and Gweru since he was reported missing after he failed to pitch up to where he was supposed to be on that day and did not return home.
They have been handing out flyers and encouraging anyone with information to come forward.
Chimanikire, a husband, father of three, and grandfather of 5 grandchildren is described as a tall and well-built man with dreadlocks. He was last seen wearing a navy-blue t-shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers.
Friends and family say he is a gentle and social person who is known and loved by many people in Mbizo, Kwekwe.
Local law enforcement was also involved to aid in the investigation, both the ZRP at Garandichauya in Mbizo and Kwekwe Central. However, there has been little progress to date.
After the initial report of a missing person, the family started following up on a few leads. The main lead was that of being seen at a filling station right opposite his house.
This is the place where Mr Chimanikire was last seen by community members and some employees of the filling station. Both say he was standing next to a silver kombi which didn’t have number plates on the 7th of October sometime in the morning.
Since the 9th of October the police have made efforts to access CCTV footage from the said filling station but unfortunately faced some difficulties in getting the footage.
After a push, a search warrant was granted for the police to access the footage and the warrant was submitted on the 16th of October to the filling station where the management of the business told them they could only have access when the owner of the premises was around.
From that day, the 16th of October, the police didn’t make any follow-up or at least had no updates that they shared with the family until the family went demanding answers on the 31st.
Between the 16th and 31st of October, the ZRP in Mbizo kept on saying the Investigating Officer who was leading Mr Chimanikire’s case was on night duty and couldn’t assist. Efforts to engage other departments at ZRP during that time did not yield to anything.
It was on the 31st that the family was handed over again to the Investigation Officer to go with him back to the filling station. Unfortunately, the owner of the filling station was not available in person, just as it was from the 9th of October when the case was reported.
The police however managed to make a phone call to him and he spoke to them.
The owner of the filling station said his footage only lasted 30 days before it was automatically deleted, and at that point, he was reminded that on that day it hadn’t been 30 days since the disappearance of Mr Chimanikire.
Immediately the owner then said checking the footage was of no use as he had checked the footage himself and he didn’t see anything that would help the family. The police accepted that explanation and indicated to the family that there was nothing much they could do going forward.
The family feel this is not a normal case of a missing person. There are details regarding the case and investigation that the community feels do not align. The community has rallied together, creating social media campaigns, and urging people to share the missing person flyers.
Local businesses have also joined in, displaying posters on their windows and vehicles to raise awareness. Many have come in to pray with the family and support them during this difficult time.
Anyone with information regarding Mr Witness Chimanikire’s whereabouts or information that can help to locate his whereabouts and what happened to him is encouraged to call the Kwekwe Police Department at [phone number] or the family on [local tip line number].
“Time is of the essence, and Witness Chimanikire’s family is hoping for a miracle. As the search continues, the community remains hopeful, united in the belief that together they can bring Mr Witness Chimankire back home,” a source told Nehanda Radio.
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