One of our own lost his life in a gruesome attack by the Islamist group (ISIS) in Palma, Mozambique. Nyasha Mugwagwa, the Zimbabwean in question, was reported missing on the 24th of March following this attack on the coastal town of Palma.
Unfortunately, the search for Mugwagwa did not end as anticipated as he died four days later on the 28th. He was among the 12 that were killed during the Islamist attack. The 38 year old, Mugwagwa was reportedly buried in a mass grave along with the other 11 casualties which has made the family’s request for the government to retrieve the body a lot more difficult. The government of Zimbabwe is looking to engage ‘pathological expertise’ to identify the bodies.
The need for pathological tests was explained by Foreign secretary James Manzou in his statement saying;
“Emerging eyewitness accounts are confirming that Mr Nyasha Mugwagwa, a Zimbabwean that worked for the Remote Site Solution (RSS) company in Palma was among the 12 that were killed by the insurgents. The 12 have since been buried by the local authorities since their bodies were in a state of advanced decomposition. Under such conditions, pathological expertise is required to identify the bodies.”
Nyasha Mugwagwa’s family issued a statement confirming the death of their loved ones and stating the ongoing processes being undertaken in order to bring Nyasha back home and honour him with a decent funeral.
Nyasha is survived by his wife and 1 year old daughter. He was employed as a catering manager for Remote Site Solutions which is contracted to a multi-billion dollar gas project being build by the French’s Total and other firms.
Manzou appealed to people with relatives who are still missing to reach out to the ministry for assistance in this regard.