Chronicle Editor
Raymond Jaravaza
CHEFUNYE headman Gordon Moyo is still trying to come to terms with the barrage of insults he has recently been bombarded with by fellow villagers.
Some of the insults and accusations directed at him come from as far as South Africa via social media platform WhatsApp.
His crime is that as a community leader, he has failed to curb youth violence and crime in the area under his jurisdiction in Chefunye, Tsholotsho District.
His area covers several wards.
One of those wards is home to the Chefunye Business Centre.
The shopping centre is a bustling business epicentre that boasts of supermarkets, nightclubs, bottle stores, restaurants, clothing shops and other service providers.
Over the last few years, youth violence fuelled by the emergence of nightclubs in the area has been on the rise.
The scourge has particularly become worrisome in the last two years, says Headman Moyo.
Two months ago, two young men attacked a man with an okapi knife and beer bottles for refusing to buy them alcohol.
He sustained serious injuries and was rushed to Tsholotsho Hospital and the culprits are still on the run.
“Whenever there is violence among the youth at Chefunye Business Centre, my phone is bombarded with messages from parents based in South Africa who accuse me of not reigning in nightclub owners.
“The violence is getting worse with each passing day and unfortunately I’m always at the receiving end of insults from villagers.
“Some of the people who insult me are children (now parents) that grew up here in this village and I suppose they think that because they are based in Botswana or South Africa, it’s okay for them to insult an old man,” Headman Moyo told the Saturday Chronicle at his homestead in Village Three, Chefunye.
The traditional leader said he is being blamed for allegedly not doing enough to force nightclub owners to stop allowing teenagers to patronise their drinking spots.
The news crew observed three nightclubs and half-a-dozen bottle stores in the area.
A villager, Sibusiso Ncube, said the youths can purchase alcohol in any of the spots as early as 7am
True to his words, Saturday Chronicle observed a group of about eight youths, sipping a brownish liquid from a two-litre plastic container at one of the shops.
Nightfall is when the running battles begin with machetes and knobkerries, the weapons of choice, according to Ncube.
“The biggest problem is that the boys have formed gangs, they move in groups and attack rivals from other villages.
“The fact is that they will be drunk from these cheap spirits called njengu. The alcohol they drink costs US$2 for two so you can imagine the amount of njengu they will drink if they contribute just US$1 each. The violence gets worse at night,” said Ncube.
One nightclub owner commonly known as MaMoyo, is also at the receiving end of villagers’ frustrations.
She has recently been receiving death threats from two locals based in South Africa as they demand that she closes the nightclub.
She agreed to talk to Saturday Chronicle on condition that her full name is not published as she fears for her life.
One message she showed this reporter explicitly tells her to leave the area or her place will be torched.
Asked why she has not reported the threats to the police, MaMoyo said she doesn’t want to create animosity between herself and villagers as she believes in dialogue to solve problems.
“Every time there is some form of violence, even a kilometre away from my business premises, I get death threats.
“I have been told numerous times to close my business or I will be killed, with the chief reason for those threats being that I was not born here so I have no right to operate a business in Chefunye.
“I fear for my life, I’m just a woman trying to make an honest living and for people to blame me for violence that happens all over Chefunye is just unfair.
“We need to come together and find ways to make Chefunye a better place for everyone instead of some people resorting to threatening a woman who is just working hard to take care of her family,” said MaMoyo.
Headman Moyo agrees with the businesswoman.
“The violence is not confined to one nightclub, it’s a problem that is happening everywhere.
“I have suggested in the past that we have a meeting between the community and businesspeople to map the way forward.
“Not one person is to blame for the violence; parents should also be asking themselves why their children are drinking and fighting every day,” added Headman Moyo.
Tsholotsho Rural District Council chairman Esau Siwela said the issue of drug and alcohol abuse is not confined to Chefunye.
“We have a huge problem of alcohol and drug abuse in Tsholotsho as a whole and not just Chefunye.
“The youth have so much time on their hands so it’s important as leaders to find ways of creating an environment that brings business opportunities to the district.
“When businesses open, jobs become available and the youths don’t stay in the villages doing nothing,” said Siwela.
Online Reporter