Plumtree family in distress

 Sunday News Reporters

A FAMILY from Mlomwe village in Plumtree has alleged distress following the death of their father under mysterious circumstances and the disappearance of two siblings from the same family.

According to family sources, the father, the later Mlotshwa Ncube was a known activist and supporter of the Nelson Chamisa-led Citizens Coalition for Change and would constantly lead door to door campaigns for the opposition party in the village.

However, the family alleges that Ncube went missing on 23 June last year, with party supporters informing them that he was last seen being taken by people suspected to be aligned to Zanu-PF and had been severely beaten at the time he was being taken.

“It was on 23 June that our father was taken, we then found his body three days later on 26 June at a plot in the area and we were told by the police that the cause of the death could have been an attack from wild animals which clearly does not even add up.

“We have people who can witness that our father was beaten and taken by certain people who we all know but for them to then claim that he was beaten by wild animals does not even add up, which wild animals do we have in Plumtree,” said a family member who spoke on condition of anonymity fearing victimization.

The family member claimed that their woes continued when the late Mlotshwa Ncube’s children were now later targeted after they continuously questioned circumstances leading to their father’s death.

“His daughter, Thembani Ncube, who was involved in community development projects where they were looking for donors to construct the local clinic was also being continuously harassed and has been missing since October 2022, we do not know whether she is alive or not because even her mobile phones just went dead it is like she vanished into thin air.

“Now her brother Lethani Ncube is the one who has gone missing which is what has prompted us to approach the media to assist us in probably locating our family members. We do not even know who will disappear next, it is honestly a catch-22 situation,” said the family member.