Residents on edge after lions spotted on suburb fringe

Michael Magoronga

Residents in Amaveni suburb in Kwekwe are living in fear following claims that three lions were spotted roaming in a nearby bush.

Residents said they were living in fear after they spotted the lions in a nearby bush while looking for firewood.

“We had to dump the firewood we had fetched as we ran for our dear lives after we spotted the lions in the bush. We reported the matter to the police and the local legislator,” said Tinashe Msimanga.

Kwekwe Central legislator Masango ‘Blackman’ Matambanadzo, through his aide Angela Nyathi, confirmed having received the reports.

“Yes, it’s true some residents in Amaveni have claimed to have spotted three lions in nearby bushes. We are, however, still trying to verify the claims and we have also notified the relevant authorities like the police and the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife department (ZIMPARKS),” said Matamabanadzo.

While another section of the residents claimed the residents could have seen supernatural lions, the MP said he was not ruling out the supernatural aspect.

“This is scary and a taboo as lions are rarely spotted near residential areas especially when there are no game parks nearby,” he said.

ZIMPARKS spokesperson Tinashe Farawo said his department had responded to the reports but could not find anything.

“We received the reports and our parks rangers responded swiftly to the issues but found nothing to that effect,” said Farawo.