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Lynnia Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter
TEN of the Matshetsheni villagers under Chief Masuku in Gwanda District who mobbed, attacked and destroyed homesteads belonging to people they suspected of stealing their cattle were on Thursday acquitted leaving their four co-accused awaiting sentence.
The 10, Robert Mlilo (71), Milton Dube (56), Thabani Nkala (49), Amos Moyo (66), Ben Mlilo (74), Mgoli Moyo (71), Den Ncube (62), Desire Moyo (82), Luka Ndlovu (84) and Liphat Nkala (69) were found not guilty by Gwanda magistrate Ms Sheila Nazombe on Friday.
All the 14 villagers denied the charge of public violence through their defence counsel, Mr Thompson Mabhikwa of T.J Mabhikwa and Partners.
“However, after the court had considered all the necessary facts, it managed to acquit 10 villagers. They will collect their bail money from the clerk of court. The court finds the remaining four, Peter Mlilo (58), Samson Tshabangu (53), Casper Ncube (43) and Mthokozisi Dube (32) guilty and they will receive their sentence on Monday after their mitigations,” said the magistrate.
They were remanded in custody after the prosecutor, Mr Tapiwa Magwede, submitted that they were likely to abscond court seeing that they have been found guilty.
Allegations are that on 1 June this year, the villagers acting with others who are still at large organised themselves and hatched a plan to destroy some homesteads at Insindi Resettlement and expel the owners accusing them of stealing theircattle.
The court heard that they armed themselves with an assortment of weapons and proceeded to the resettlement area at around 11am where they arrived at Mr Lovemore Moyo’s homestead and forcibly set fire on a two-roomed house and a thatched kitchen hut where various property kept there was worth $4 161.
They ordered Precious Noko, Moyo’s wife to completely vacate from the area as her husband was a cattle thief. They then ordered Noko to accompany them to Sylvester Hogo’s homestead where upon arrival they destroyed the house walls and property worth $1 100.
They then proceeded to Marble Ndlovu’s homestead which is next to Hogo’s and burnt down houses and property worth $6 772.
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