A 23-year old woman of Hanyanzu village in Pemba district has been charged with murder of her 61-year-old mother whom she allegedly buried in a shallow grave 40 metres away from their house.
Southern Province police commissioner Mary Chikwanda, named the suspect as Joyce Mutinta, who has since been arrested and charged with murder. Chikwanda, who expressed sadness at the incident, said Mutinta allegedly murdered  Luziya Nambulo using an unknown object on Sunday and buried her near their home. “We received a report that Mutinta allegedly murdered her mother for unknown reasons and buried the body in a shallow grave but as police, we have instituted investigations into the matter,” she said.
  The body was, however, exhumed and taken to Pemba clinic for a post-mortem. And Chikwanda said a 54-year-old man of Pemba has been shot dead on suspicion of practicing witchcraft. She identified the deceased as Benson Mutinta, who met his fate on Wednesday around 19:00 hours while taking a rest in a shelter. Chikwanda said the incident happened in the same village where a trigger-happy man recently shot dead three people, including a baby, at a house where mourners had gathered.
She said an unknown person opened fire and killed Mutinta, who sustained bullet wounds to the head and back. “Some family members who rushed outside after they heard the gunshots found the deceased lying in a pool of blood with deep bullet wounds on his head and back,” said Chikwanda.
Mutinta’s body is in Pemba clinic mortuary awaiting postmortem. No arrests have been made, but police have instituted investigations into the matter.