Air Force Assists in Recovery of Church Robbery Victims in Mazowe Gorge

 Two worshippers from the Mugodhi Apostolic Church died after plunging from a steep cliff while fleeing armed robbers who attacked a prayer gathering in Mazowe.

The bodies were retrieved by the Air Force of Zimbabwe in a high-risk recovery operation carried out on June 29, 2025.

Mashonaland Central police spokesperson, Inspector Milton Mundembe, confirmed the incident, which occurred the night before, on June 28 around 8:00 PM.

According to police, a group of 18 congregants had gathered at Iron Mask Prayer Mountain, having traveled from the Mazowe Kiosk area. During the night vigil, a gang of six unidentified men armed with machetes stormed the shrine, robbing the group of cash and mobile phones.

“The attackers caused panic, prompting church members to flee in various directions,” said Inspector Mundembe. “In the chaos, two congregants — Prosper Katiyo and Leoba Mabonzo (27) — are believed to have fallen off a cliff approximately 300 metres deep.”

The robbers allegedly made off with a Tecno Spark 30 C phone valued at US$100, an Itel P37 Pro phone worth US$80, and a total of US$345 in cash, including money and property belonging to the deceased.

The following morning, at around 4:00 AM, the group reconvened and discovered that Katiyo and Mabonzo were missing. A search led to the discovery of a white church garment hanging from a rocky slope, raising alarm. A formal police report was filed.

Police say the bodies were located deep within a gorge on the mountainside. Due to the steep terrain, local efforts to retrieve the bodies were unsuccessful. The Air Force of Zimbabwe was contacted and promptly dispatched a helicopter to assist. Both bodies were successfully recovered.

Post-recovery examinations revealed that both victims sustained broken necks and possible spinal injuries, suggesting they died from the fall.

No arrests have been made so far, and none of the stolen property has been recovered. The case remains under investigation.

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