Wood poachers attack plotholder

In an interview on Friday, Mr Aaron Nkomo (60), said he saved himself by drawing out a knife after four suspected wood poachers attacked him when he tried to stop them from poaching wood on his plot.
“We are having problems with wood poachers in our plots in Kent Farm and on Wednesday, I heard people cutting down trees in my plot and went to investigate,” said Mr Nkomo.
He said he saw four suspected wood poachers who had a donkey-drawn scotchcart in his plot, approached them and ordered them to stop poaching.
Mr Nkomo said the four suspects, however, became violent and attacked him with logs and axes.
“One of them then attacked me with an axe on the head. I sustained a deep cut and bled profusely. Some villagers who later came only managed to stop the blood from oozing using a cloth,” he said.
Mr Nkomo, a war veteran, said he used some of his liberation war tactics to save himself from further harm by the suspected wood poachers.
“While I was lying on the ground after being struck by an axe by one of the suspects, I then drew out a knife while threatening to stab them. This was when they then started retreating. I used the chance to crawl to safety before calling neighbours for help,” he said.
Mr Nkomo said when some neighbours later rushed to the scene, the suspects had already fled in their scotchcart.
He said the suspected wood poachers were wreaking havoc in the area and at times killed their livestock.
“The problem with these suspected wood poachers, most of whom are from Gweru city, is that they do not only come here for wood poaching. They are also killing and skinning our beasts before they take the meat to the city for sale,” he said.
The chief executive officer of Vungu Rural District Council, Mr Wellington Ngulube, said the attack on Mr Nkomo by suspected wood poachers was not the first time plotholders in Kent Farm have been attacked.
“Plotholders at Kent Farm have for long been terrorised by these suspected wood poachers who also go around killing livestock. Mr Nkomo’s case is not the first one and we have been reporting these cases of wood poaching and stock theft to the police. We have tried to engage the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) over rampant cases of wood poaching in Kent Farm but it has not solved anything,” he said.