Chronicle Editor
Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, [email protected]
A disturbing trend has emerged in Matabeleland, a region renowned for its ethos of ubuntu.
The once-peaceful area is now marred by a surge in violent confrontations, where disputes are settled not with words, but with the blade of a machete or the point of a spear.
The aftermath of these conflicts spills into the halls of public hospitals, where overworked staff labour tirelessly to extract weapons embedded in the flesh — remnants of senseless altercations that have claimed too many lives.
Amid this chaos, surgeons perform near-miraculous feats, delicately removing instruments of harm that have pierced dangerously close to vital organs.
Mpilo Central Hospital’s grim statistics reveal the extent of the crisis — over 90 cases of penetrative trauma during the festive season alone, the majority hailing from Matabeleland.
Tsholotsho and Nkayi, in particular, have become hotbeds of such brutality, prompting urgent pleas from hospital authorities for an end to the bloodshed.
The holiday season’s tally of violence was stark — ten incidents on Christmas Eve, escalating to 13 on Christmas Day and peaking at 17 on Boxing Day.
Though the numbers briefly dipped, they rose again, culminating in eight more cases just after the New Year. Tragically, three individuals succumbed to their injuries, three more cling to life in intensive care, and others remain hospitalised, their futures uncertain.
One harrowing account details the rage of Shepherd Nkomo, a 38-year-old man from Tsholotsho, who, in a fit of fury over suspected infidelity, took the life of his wife, Gertrude, before turning his wrath on Mhlanga Mkhize, a visually impaired neighbour who had attempted to intervene.
Professor Solwayo Ngwenya, Mpilo’s clinical director, laments the erosion of ubuntu and the respect for human life.
“We are calling on our people to respect life and try resolve their disputes without using weapons, we are not animals and we will never be. It’s disheartening to see our people killing each other in cold blood over senseless things and that keeps us working overtime to the detriment of the system which should be catering to serious medical conditions,” he implores.
A nurse from the intensive care unit echoes this sentiment, urging the public to abandon the very possession of weapons that so often culminate in tragedy.
“It’s painful to see people battling for their lives in here over useless fights about soccer, beer and even relationships. Honestly no one deserves to die in this manner, some become brain-dead moments after getting into ICU and you wonder what goes on for people to be this reckless. We appeal to our brothers to be emotionally intelligent because we cannot continue like this, this level of violence is too much and unjustified.”
Garikai Mwale, a neurosurgeon at Mpilo, attests that violence accounts for 90 percent of his surgical cases.
“We have a big problem regarding trauma issues in our hospital, we have too many of them coming into Mpilo. Most of them are victims of domestic violence, people assaulting others, mostly it is people from the bar who for some unimportant reason fight and cause severe injuries to other people. To every doctor who has worked at Mpilo, it is quite common that weekends are the busiest, the hospital is overwhelmed by trauma patients mostly coming from bars and other areas where people gather to fight each other,” he reports.
“This is a big problem as it strains our resources, we spent a lot of time with these patients instead of focusing on other patients. Members of the public should do self-introspection and behave better, we cannot use violence in every dispute.
“Some of these we manage to serve after a lot of strain but others end up losing lives unfortunately,” he added.
In separate interviews, penetrating trauma patients recovering at Mpilo Hospital called for police to do more to end the violence.
Mthokozisi Vundla, who is nursing deep stab wounds on his hands, said police should be intentional about apprehending culprits as they continue butchering others with impunity.
“I am happy that Mpilo staff helped save my life but police should do something about the rate of violence. I stay in Cowdray Park and I think we deserve holding cells there, we just cannot keep up with ruthless people who stab us just so they can violently take our belongings,” he said.
Another victim, Themba Nsele said he was stabbed in his back while trying to protect his brother from armed robbers on New Year’s Day.
“This world has become so evil, I was stabbed while trying to protect my brother from three men who were armed with axes and knobkerries. It’s like we have people who compete in using these and it’s a norm that should not be found among us as a people. Police should thoroughly inspect and ensure no one carries or owns these weapons.”
Online Reporter