MILLICENT HUNGWE
MASVINGO – Four Bikita villagers will rue the day they teamed up to assault a 36 year old fellow villager to death whom they suspected to be a thief after they were arrested for murder.
The tragic incident unfolded in village 30 under Chief Ziki in Bikita, resulting in the untimely death of Tinashe Katsande, on September 15 at around 3am.
According to Masvingo Province police spokesperson Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa, the events leading to his demise began when Ephraim Chinhara (34), Lovemore Chivizhe (44) and Obert Mundondo (59) encountered Katsande carrying a sack in the Nyakura area.
Assuming he was carrying stolen goods, the group, which comprised of gold panners from the same village, decided to search Katsande.
Upon finding a half-bucket of sorghum, two green bar soaps, a road runner, and 10kg of mealie meal, they interrogated him and Katsande’s refusal to answer to their questions sparked aggression, leading to a severe beating.
The assault continued until he confessed to stealing from the fourth accused, Innocent Marima
The group then took Katsande to the fourth accused’s homestead, who denied losing any stuff but however joined in beating the suspected thief.
Later, at around 5am, they took Katsande to a police constable based at Ngorema.
However, Katsande’s condition had deteriorated, and he struggled to walk, the group left him on the side of the road and returned with the policeman, only to find Katsande lifeless.
The police from Mashoko were informed, leading to the arrest of the first three accused, while the fourth remains at large.
Katsande’s body has been transferred to Mashoko hospital, awaiting postmortem.
“We remind members of the public on the importance of upholding the law and reporting suspected crimes to the authorities and it is crucial to allow justice to take its course through the proper channels than taking the law into one’s hands,” said Inspector Dhewa.
