Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
THE late Vice-President Landa John Nkomo’s former bodyguard, Retired Colonel Eddie Sigoge, was on Friday found guilty of eight counts of attempted murder after he shot at a rival in a dispute over a farm.
Ret Col Sigoge, 61, of Lobengula West,  pleaded not guilty to the eight counts of attempted murder but was convicted by Hwange regional magistrate Dambudzo Malunga.

She said there was no evidence that Sigoge acted in defence as he had claimed that his victims were advancing towards him.
Sigoge will know his fate on Thursday when he will lead his mitigation before being sentenced.

The former security man was acquitted on an additional charge of possessing a firearm without a licence after it was discovered that the pistol he used belonged to his employer, which had been registered in his (VP Nkomo) name for personal protection.

Sigoge used the weapon to shoot at businessman Langton Masunda’s family and friends at Lugo Ranch in Gwayi in 2009.
He left Masunda’s brother Patrick for dead with injuries on both thighs and genitals.

The late VP Nkomo’s twin sons Jabulani and Mzamo testified in the case with Jabulani telling the court that he planned the attack.
Jabulani, the managing director of the properties, told the court that the property was his family’s, as he produced a Supreme Court order of May 2012.

He told the court that Sigoge was justified to shoot because he had assigned him together with others to gather manpower to protect the farm and defend themselves, as the Masundas had become a nuisance.

However, the state dismissed the document, arguing that it did not corroborate with evidence in court and that Jabulani based his argument on hearsay as he was not at the farm when the incident occurred. Mzamo told police investigators during an inspection in loco at the farm that workers woke up from a chalet they were sleeping in and found the Masundas, Ganizani, Siziba and Ndlovu advancing towards them.

He claimed that Sigoge fired because the Masundas had removed property from Jijima Lodge and attempted to burn it.
Prosecuting, Memory Munsaka told how on May 9, 2009, the Masundas left Halfway Hotel along Bulawayo-Hwange road at about 8PM in two cars going to Jijima Lodge owned by Langton.

She said the Masunda brothers – Patrick, Benjamin, Robert and Langton, their worker Vincent Ganizani, Zenzo Siziba and Patrick Ndlovu arrived at the farm and found Sigoge already armed after hearing the sound of cars and fired a number of shots at Patrick, who had advanced towards a dark spot. The prosecutor said the Masundas fled from the farm after the retired army officer opened fire at them.

Langton was embroiled in a heated land dispute with the late VP Nkomo in the Gwayi Conservancy.
When Patrick was put in one of the cars, Sigoge fired three more shots at the car and a bullet went through the door.

The car sped off with Patrick as he was rushed to hospital.
Nkomo, Sigoge and some workers were lying in ambush at Lugo Ranch to block the Masundas from occupying it.

In his defence, he said he opened fire because the complainants had intruded onto the property.
A report was later made to the police leading to Sigoge’s arrest.

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