On January 5th 1980,an annonymus call was made to the Central Lusaka Police Station to report the discovery of a dead body lying in a playing field behind Lusaka Boys Primary School.when police alived they found a semi-decomposed body of a woman,as a result,it wasn’t possible to examine her exact cause of death.It was determined that the woman was murdred elsewhere and later moved to her current location.
The woman was identified as Grace Shambilu a 21 year old woman who had travelled from Sinazongwe to Lusaka to deliver a letter to her brother.she was due to travel to Kitwe to attend an interview at the Zambian Institute of Technology. The police had no leads to who the killer might be.
January 6, 1980: UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, aged about 21
Body found along a path near Chitukuko Road, Woodlands. She was allegedly raped and strangled where body was found.
On January 6, Woodlands Police Station received a report similar to the one received by Lusaka Central a day before.
A body of a dead woman was found lying by a foot path off Chitukuko Road.
After examining the body police established that the woman was first raped and then strangled at that same place. There were marks of a violent struggle on an area six metres in radius evidenced by scattered beads ripped from the woman’s waist and torn knickers found four metres from the body.
Bruises were also noted on the woman’s body especially on the sides of the neck and on the navel while blood and what looked like foam oozed from her mouth and nose. Efforts to get the woman identified failed.
January 12, 1980: FLORENCE MWANGELWA MULIMA, 21.
Body found behind NIPA offices. Victim allegedly raped and murdered where body was found. She had travelled by train from Mazabuka to Lusaka. She was doing Form lll [Grade 10 of the day then].
January 14, 1980: PRISCILLA NDHLOVU 10.
Body found in a maize field between Olympia Park and Northmead. She was sent to buy some groceries by her parents before she allegedly met her death by strangulation.
January 28, 1980: REGINA MUNANGA, 25.
Body found between UNZA campus and Show Grounds. She was allegedly raped and strangled where body was found. A woman police officer, in transit from Livingstone to Mufulira, on official duties. She came by train.
January 30, 1980: CLODIA MAIMBOLWA 21.
Body found at Freedom Statute near Nasser Road. She was allegedly strangled where body was found. She was in transit from Choma to Senanga, she came by train and was reportedly last Last seen in company of a soldier.
February 7, 1980: MILLIAN CHIPETA 20.
Body found in a maize field between City Airport and Longacres. She was allegedly strangled with a scarf where body was found. She came from Kitwe to Lusaka by bus. At this point,the police concluded that these murders were all linked,but could not establish if it was a gang or just a man targetting these women.
Feb 10, 1980: UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN aged about 18 to 21. Body found along Washama Road, Villa Elizabetha. She was raped and strangled elsewhere before body was dumped at Villa Elizabetha. All the bodies at this point were left in fairly open areas,alluding to the idea that the murderer wanted everyone to know about his kills.
February 11, 1980: FOSTA KAELA, 10. Body found in a maize field between Kalingalinga and City Airport. Victim was allegedly strangled by a man who left boot footmarks. She was coming from Lusaka Girls Primary School.
February 17, 1980: GRACE MUTONDO, 26. Body found at Lukunga Football pitch behind Inter-Continental Hotel. She was allegedly raped and strangled. Known to have come from a disco at the hotel.
February 25, 1980: FRIDAH NCUBE, 32. Body found lying near Maxwell House hostels next to Lusaka Girls Primary School. She came from Choma in transit to Zimbabwe. Footprints found on the path indicated she was allegedly picked from Inter-Continental Hotel before she was strangled.
March 13, 1980: JANE MALAKO, 18. Body found along a footpath near Chitukuko Road, Woodlands. She was a student travelling from Livingstone to Senanga via Lusaka. Victim was allegedly strangled after being picked from Kamwala bus station.
March 13, 1980: HILDA BANDA, 18. Body found at Kamwala Secondary School playfield. She was allegedly strangled with her belt. She was last reported to have gone to Lusaka Hotel.
March 15, 1980: AGATHER MUSA NASILELE aged about 18. Body found along a foot path near the Show Grounds. She was a Form III student travelling from Magoye to Western Province via Lusaka. She was allegedly raped and strangled.
March 23, 1980: EMELDAH MONDE CHABAZWA, 26. Body found lying in bush near Chitukuko Road, Woodlands. She was a student travelling from Mongu to Monze via Lusaka. She was allegedly raped and strangled and before body was dumped near Chitukuko Road.
March 25, 1980: MIRIAM CHIWALA, 15. Body found between Duly Motors and Chibolya compound. She was allegedly raped and strangled. A cardboard message found near the body had the message: “Nothing to say guys and don’t mind all what I told you when you were going for elections. Comrades no woman now. Please my friend be careful how you walk, yours no woman now.”
A KILLING SPREE
For nine months, once a week like clock work, the strangler killed a woman. Dead bodies started being found in a wide area around Lusaka and the newspaper headlines were full of the attempts by the police to catch the serial killer.
The Lusaka Strangler was to kill at least 29 women. The police launched Operation Rosemary to capture the killer. By the time the Strangler was caught, the official list of victims was 31 with 2 victims surviving.
The police worked out the Modus operandi of the killer after some intensive investigation. His technique was simple, approach a woman, seduce her, take her for a drink, rape and strangle her. The other variation was to offer accommodation. He would then dump the body at a place where it would be found easily.
He also played games with the police. Arranging items like bottles around bodies, leave coins on the body and notes and so on.
Some bodies were found in the bush now occupied by Manda Hill, some others where Arcades is, others were found in the bush where Winners Chapel is in Libala, others were found in the NIPA area and another in the bush in Longacres near where the Zambia Airways Head quarters (now Ministry of Health). Another body was found at the gates of Woodlands Stadium. As if to mock the UNIP government one body was found lying at the Freedom Statue. Another body, found near Chibolya, had a gloating cardboard sign with a message for the police. Another body was left at what is now the TEVETA headquarters behind Intercontinental Hotel. One of the victims was an off duty policewoman and the killer left her ID lying on her body. One horrific murder involved the rape and strangulation of an 18 year old girl whose naked body was found hanging on the NIPA fence. This was the murder that so upset Assistant Comissioner Mr. Sinyinda
The spate of murders scared the whole of Lusaka. He killed six women in January, five women in February, five women in March, three more in April, two in May, three in June, two in July and the last two in September.
The victims were picked up from the Old Kamwala Intercity bus terminus, the Lusaka Railway Station and the UBZ coach station. The police also noticed something. Quite a lot of the victims identified by the national registration cards he left on their bodies were Lozi or Lozi speaking.
OPERATION ROSEMARY
The Police investigation caused friction within the force. Political pressure was intense from the top, with politicians demanding results, meanwhile Force Headquarters Police Command did not want to interfere with the Lusaka Division Command investigations. However Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr Sinyinda was forced to officially rebuke Lusaka CID for their poor investigation methods. The police had instituted a huge round up of all known sex offenders and murderers. They had detained dozens of people without result. Lusaka rumour had its own suspects.
What incensed Mr Sinyinda, a seasoned detective, was the failure of the police to interrogate a crucial witness properly. A security guard at Premium House had seen a woman walking past Premium House late at night with a soldier in uniform. He was upset that when the guard offered this information the lead was not followed up as the very same night a body appeared in the vicinity !!!
After this gaffe, the Police Command took over and assembled a Special Investigation Team composed of all the best detectives and investigators from around the country.
The breakthrough came when one person survived an attack by the strangler. In July 1980, Nora Soko survived an attack by the strangler and gave police a description of him as a dark man in military uniforn with tribal marks on his face speaking English and Nyanja with a Lozi accent. She had been lured from the bus stop by the Strangler when he grabbed her bag and walked out of the station. She followed him to try and retrieve her bag and he engaged her in conversation. She was saved from death when in the bush near the Olympic Swimming Pool in Rhodes Park she was attacked but screamed for help. Guards at the nearby ZSIC flats came to her rescue. A police detective had seen the two talking at the Kamwala Intercity Bus Terminus and had assumed they were a couple. He had however noted the couple in his notebook and his report had included a description of the killer.
The police subjected both the survivor and the detective to intensive questioning and both their descriptions tallied and both agreed they would be able to identify the serial killer.
The police now knew they were looking for a soldier or soldiers. The three statements of the Premium House guard, the detective's report from Kamwala and the survivor's tale all corroborated this.
The killer seemed to have noticed the heavy detective presence at railway and bus stations. This was because in August he did not strike. It is said the police even planted Lozi speaking female detectives at various stations to look like travellers however the killer never approached them.
SUSPECT CAUGHT
He then struck again in September 1980 and in the process was arrested. A Mrs Mutakasha arrived in Lusaka. She was in company of a young lady going to Petauke. They arrived late in Lusaka and fearing the serial killer decided to spend the night at the station.
During the night, two soldiers approached them. The soldiers tried to convince the two women to go with them to a guest house. Mrs Mutakasha refused and so did the young girl. One of the soldiers picked up the girls bags and walked out with them. The young girl followed. Mrs Mutakasha never saw her again and it is not known if she too was a victim.
After an hour one of the soldiers came back and persuaded Mrs Mutakasha to come with her to the guest house. She relented and followed the soldier. She was attacked and woke up in the bush at 0300. She was attacked in the bush near Kamwala Secondary School. Her last memory was drinking a Fanta the soldier bought for her. She staggered to a house in Madras and called for help.
She too provided a clear description. After a month, the police then set a trap. Using the two survivors as bait they sent them back to the bus station.
The strangler fell into the trap. When Mrs Mutakasha was at the station, a soldier approached Mrs Mutakasha and began talking to her. Detectives closed in and arrested him.
Corporal Milton Mufungulwa Sipalo was the name of the suspect. He was taken to Central Police and interrogated. He was identified by the Detective who saw him speaking to Nora Soko, by Nora Soko and Mrs Mutakasha as well.
Three days of intensive interrogation followed. An accomplice
a Lance Corporal Kenneth Kaluwe was arrested. He was later released as no evidence was found linking him to the murders.
However Sipalo's Arrakkan barracks home was full of the posessions of numerous victims. He also led the Investigators to many sites where bodies had been picked up. When caught he was even wearing a watch for Mrs Mutakasha.
STRANGLER ESCAPES JUSTICE
The story ends in a final macabre twist. While transferring Sipalo to a conference room for interrogation he escaped the officers escorting him and rushed to the roof of Lusaka Central Police Station. He then stood on the roof and threatened to throw himself off the roof. Despite hours of pleading from police, the fire brigade and onlookers, he plunged off the roof top to his death.
Thus ended the life of the most prolific serial killer in Zambian history. He had killed women at a rate of one a week except for the pause in August. For nine months he terrorised Lusaka. Nurses slept at UTH or clinics for fear of the Strangler. Fewer women could be found in bars or clubs. It was said prostitutes charged more. He mocked the police. He caused friction in the ranks of the police as to how best handle his case. The police threw unprecedented resources at the case.
There are still unresolved issues. If Lance Corporal Kenneth Kaluwe was not his partner in crime then who was the other soldier he seemed to have done his dastardly deeds with ? How many women did he really kill ? Indications are there were several bodies never found. What were his motives for the murder spree ? Why did the Government refuse offers of help from the FBI and Scotland Yard and opt to use its own resources to solve the case?
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