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Chronicle Reporter 

A family from Mhlangamlambo village, in Lupane district, Matabeleland North province is allegedly embroiled in a land dispute that has since led to the disappearance of their parents while one of the children was reportedly brutally raped and also, at one point, wrongfully incarcerated as she tried to open a missing persons case with the police.

The Moyo family is reportedly locked in the land battle with Mr Patrick Sibanda, a senior Zanu-PF provincial member and has vowed to displace the family from the said land.

Sibanda is also sad to be interested in the village head position, although traditionally he cannot take it up.

Mr Ngwiza Moyo who took over the traditional post of village head from his late father Mvulo Moyo when he passed away in November 2021. He also inherited the land which is now under dispute.

According to family sources the land dispute escalated following the death of Mr Moyo (Senior), with Mr Sibanda allegedly using all means possible to evict the family, including violence, rape and arson.

“We believe that Sibanda took advantage that Ngwiza was very active within opposition politics, being a member of the MDC Alliance but mainly inclined of Advocate Nelson Chamisa. This saw Sibanda using his connections within Zanu-PF to attack the family and force them out of the land.

“Around end of December 2021, their kitchen hut was burnt to the ground in a suspected arson case, in January 2022 the family was also attacked by unknown assailants who also gang raped one of their daughters Memory Moyo,” said a family source who declined to be named.

During the raid, it is said the attackers found opposition materials in the house which is when they reportedly labeled as being unwanted in the area because of their political affiliations.

The relative revealed that a few days later, it is alleged that the family was once again attacked but this time Ngwiza and his wife, Serviey Ndlovu where abducted and have been missing ever since.

“As is the couple is still missing, Memory has been failing to report the matter to the police, who have claimed there is not much to prove that they were abducted. What is disappointing is that this is all about land and a traditional village head position which shows that it was all borders around greediness,­” said the family source.