THE sun beat down mercilessly on a freshly turned earth as it cast long, stark shadows across the dormant grass.
With a forlorn look, Nosipho Moyo sat on an aged wooden bench, her eyes fixated on the grave of her son, Leeroy Mpofu, of Guduza village, under Chief Sogwala in Lower Gwelo, Midlands province, who died in an inferno after a butchery in which he was sleeping caught fire last month.
Once a vibrant young soul, Mpofu’s life was forever frozen at the age of 20.
Mounds of sand on the grave, marking his final resting place, reflect a sombre mood. Just next to the patch cleared for the grave are dead twigs and grass.
Weeks have passed since that fateful night, which shattered Moyo’s life into a thousand pieces.
Her son had just started a new job as a butcher, eager to support his family, but died while sleeping inside his workplace at night.
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To make matters worse, it was his first day on the job.
Mpofu had made the first step from being a boy to fruitful, youthful years, but that was short-lived.
The loss of her 20-year-old son, her beloved child, has cast a shadow over her existence.
Each day is a battle against overwhelming grief, a relentless tide that threatens to consume her.
The echoes of his laughter, the warmth of his embrace and the sparkle in his eyes are now mere memories, haunting her with their bittersweet nostalgia.
Tragedy struck when a fire erupted within the butchery, engulfing the building in flames.
Mpofu, trapped inside, fought desperately to escape the inferno, but the flames were too fierce, too unforgiving.
He succumbed to the merciless fire, leaving behind a trail of grief and unanswered questions.
“It was his first day at work, he seemed very excited about the job,” Moyo told NewsDay while holding back tears.
“When I received the call that Leeroy had died inside a butchery, I thought maybe they had dialled my number by mistake.
“After the call, I came back to reality that it was my son who had died. In the morning when I arrived at the scene, the police were taking the body. Everyday, I yearn for the impossible, to turn back the hands of time, to hold him one more time, to hear his voice, to feel his presence. But reality is harsh and the pain of his loss is a wound that may never truly heal.
“It is God’s decision, but it’s painful. The family of the business owner took care of all the funeral arrangements and they promised to compensate as per our culture.”
Midlands provincial police spokesperson Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko confirmed the incident and said investigations were underway to establish the cause of the fire.
He said police were informed and they attended the scene, where they found the body in a butchery.
“We confirm having received a report of sudden death where a 20-year-old man was burnt to death in an inferno,” he said.
“The incident took place in a butchery at Mission business centre, Lower Gwelo, on 15 October 2024 at about 2030 hours.”
According to Darlington Mufundisi (28), a witness who works in a neighbouring shop, although he and other villagers tried to rescue the deceased as soon as they heard him screaming, their efforts were futile.
While details of the actual cause of the fire are still unknown, Mbongeni Ncube, another witness who spoke to NewsDay, said locals suspected that the owner of the butchery was illegally selling fuel using inappropriate containers.
He said the fact that some of his appliances at his shop run on gas could have fuelled the inferno.
“The mishandling of fuel could have caused the incident,” Ncube said.
However, Vungu Rural District Council chief executive officer Alex Magura said they did risk assessments on business premises around the area, which were carried out by internal auditors to prevent such disasters.
Meanwhile, the business owner, Nkosana Sibanda, reached an agreement with the deceased’s family that he will foot all funeral expenses and compensate the family through a payment plan.
“I am the owner of the butchery. We use gas for our fridge, so I suspect that one of the gas tanks leaked, resulting in the fire outbreak, hence the death of the boy,” he said.
“We were responsible for all the funeral expenses and we agreed that I have to compensate the family of the deceased as per our culture.”
For Mpofu’s mother, the pain is a constant reminder of the void left by her son’s untimely death.
Today, she misses his presence, his comforting voice, and the simple joy of his company. The world is now bleak without him, a constant pain in her heart.