Zimpapers Logo

Some of the suspects being led to court. Inset, Matshetshe villagers besiege court in solidarity with their arrested colleagues

Richard Muponde Gwanda Correspondent
ABOUT 100 Matshetshe villagers yesterday besieged Gwanda Magistrate Courts in solidarity with their 10 colleagues who were charged with public violence.

The 10, many of them elderly, allegedly burnt three homesteads belonging to suspected stock thieves in Insindi resettlement area on Wednesday.

There was a heavy police presence as Peter Mlilo ,58, Robert Mlilo, 71, Milton Dube, 56, Thabani Nkala, 49, Amosi Nyoni, 66, Ben Mlilo, 74, Mgoli Moyo, 71, Dan Ncube, 62, and Desire Moyo, 82, and Luka Ndlovu, 84, all from Chief Masuku’s area came to court.

They all pleaded not guilty and Gwanda magistrate, Nomagugu Ncube, granted them $50 bail each with conditions. Part of the conditions are that they report once a week at the Gwanda Criminal Investigation Department Law and Order Section and Mkwidze police base.

They must also reside at their respective homesteads; not to interfere with witnesses or potential witnesses and never visit Insindi resettlement area or come close to it until the finalisation of the matter.

The court gallery was filled to capacity and the magistrate had to ask some villagers to go outside.

Although the situation was tense in the morning, the court process went on peacefully without any incident with the police keeping a safe distance from the multitude of villagers who had come to attend court in solidarity with their kinsmen.

Mcedisi Ndlovu prosecuted.

The 10 are alleged to have descended on Insindi resettlement area baying for the blood of the suspected stock thieves and gave an ultimatum to people who were resettled in the area to move elsewhere if they did not want to be burnt alive. They burnt three homesteads of people suspected to be stock thieves.