Father, Three Daughters Beat Elderly Parents To Death Over Witchcraft

A father and his three daughters appeared before Masvingo High Court Judge Christopher Dube Banda on 12 May 2026, charged with murdering the man’s elderly parents over accusations of witchcraft. The case was postponed to 9 July 2026 after a key eyewitness failed to attend court.

The accused persons, Rameck Chidanhika, and his daughters, Constancy Chidanhika, 29, Vimbai Chidanhika, 21, and a 16-year-old whose name was withheld, are charged with murdering Rameck’s parents, Tizirai Chidanhika, 92, and Miriam Korusiri, 77. The incident happened in October 2024.

Prosecutor Edwin Mbavarira told the court that the accused confronted the couple at their home over allegations of witchcraft and misfortunes said to be affecting the family.

According to the State outline, on 11 October 2025, at about 7 am, Rameck and his daughters went to his parents’ homestead to confront Tizirai about goblins he was allegedly using to cause misfortunes. Tizirai denied having any goblins, which allegedly angered Rameck.

Rameck grabbed a hoe Tizirai was using to plough and began beating him. Miriam, who was sitting nearby talking to her husband, tried to stop the fight but was also assaulted. Rameck then took a log and continued beating both parents. The court heard that the daughters joined in the assault.

The couple suffered severe injuries all over their bodies. After the attack, Rameck and his daughters left and returned home. The bodies were later found by neighbours, who reported the matter to the police.

Rameck pleaded guilty to killing his parents. His daughters denied taking part in the deaths but admitted beating the deceased for a short time, saying they believed they were striking areas unlikely to cause death.

Evidence before the court included post-mortem reports for both Miriam and Tizirai, carried out by Dr Godfrey Zimbwa at Masvingo Provincial Hospital on 12 October 2025, and the weapons allegedly used.

The weapons listed were four logs and a wooden-handled hoe. One log weighed 1.8kg and measured 158cm long. Another weighed 100g and was 40cm long, tied together with an 85g log measuring 62cm. The hoe weighed 550g and was 78cm long.

The court was told that one of the key witnesses, Dzingirai Terera, was working in South Africa and did not attend court on 12 May 2026.

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