Gold panner slain in ‘tribal war’ at Shangani gold pits (File pic of a gold panner)
(File pic of a gold panner)

(File pic of a gold panner)

Mashudu Netsianda
Senior Court Reporter
A GOLD panner died after he was crushed with a concrete block in a tribally-motivated fight for the control of gold pits in Shangani, Matabeleland South, the Bulawayo High Court heard yesterday.Justice Francis Bere heard this when Admire Makoni, 23, of Chitungwiza, McIntosh Nhawu, 17, of Gokwe, Tapiwa Maupa, 30, of Gokwe, Brighton Munyiri, 27, and Peter Manyuchi, 18, both of Buhera, appeared before him facing a murder charge.

The quintet allegedly assaulted Mandlenkosi Sibanda, 27, of Shangani, before stoning him to death.
Prosecuting, Whisper Mabaudhi said on February 25, 2013, shortly after 10PM at Farai Munashe Bottle Store, Tafadzwa Solo confronted Mlamuleli Tshuma and allegedly threatened him in Shona, saying, “nhasi maNdebele ese ndoda kumarova (today I want to assault all Ndebele-speaking people).”

The long standing dispute emanated from a feud between Shona and Ndebele gold panners over the control of gold fields in Shangani.
The court heard that Tshuma stood up and headed towards the exit and blocked the door. Solo threw an empty bottle of beer at Tshuma and hit him on the forehead.

Tshuma retaliated by grabbing Solo. The court heard that Tshuma fled after Solo overpowered him.
Sibanda followed Tshuma to find out what had transpired.
The court heard that Makoni, Nhawu, Maupa, Munyiri and Manyuchi ganged up and hatched a plan to assault the Ndebeles in the area.

They chased Sibanda and caught up with him before assaulting him with stones and concrete blocks and fled from the scene leaving the body lying in a pool of blood. A post mortem report said the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, homicide and subarachnoid haemorrhage.
They then started indiscriminately throwing stones at passers-by and the surrounding shops.

Tsungai Mapeta, 28, a vendor who witnessed the murder, said the attack was tribally motivated.
He narrated how Maupa pulled Sibanda out of the bar to an area where he allegedly ganged up with his accomplices and fatally assaulted the victim.
“I was sitting in the shop veranda at Farai Munashe Bottle Store when I saw Tshuma coming out of the bar bleeding on the face. A fight between two rival groups comprising Shonas and Ndebeles broke out inside the bar after they started throwing stones at each other and other patrons ran out,” said Mapeta.

He said Maupa, who appeared to be the ring leader, pulled Sibanda out of the bar while his accomplices followed him.
“They took Sibanda to an area about 50 metres away from the shops where Maupa tripped him and he fell down. They started assaulting him as he lay on the ground. A man who was wearing a black jacket picked up a concrete block and hit him on the head twice after which they fled,” said Mapeta.

The owner of the bottle store, Sikhanyisiwe Nkomo, said she woke up following the noise which emanated from outside her house.
“I woke up and peeped through the window and saw about six men throwing stones at Sibanda and they were shouting in Shona saying, ‘let us kill these Ndebeles.’ After the mob had dispersed, I went to the scene and found Sibanda lying motionless and called the police,” she said.

The five men, through their lawyers, are denying the charge, arguing that they only witnessed the incident but did not participate in the commission of the crime.

Herbert Chimbete is representing Munyiri while Joylyn Gororo-Magosvangwe is Makoni’s lawyer.
Wish Ndongwe is Manyuchi’s lawyer, Solomon Nguni is appearing for Nhawu while Tshimumoyo Ndlovu is Maupa’s lawyer.
The trial continues today.

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