A 41-year-old man from Gwambe village in Plumtree reportedly died last week Thursday, after he was assaulted by members of the local neighbourhood watch committee.
The deceased has been identified as Joseph Ndlovu.
Narrating the ordeal to CITE, Earnest Ndlovu, the father to the now deceased said the incident happened while they had attended a local meeting to register for food aid.
“We attended a meeting to register our names for a food distribution program. When we got to the venue of the meeting we found Zanu-PF members already having started the meeting,” said Ndlovu.
“They openly told us that those who are not Zanu-PF members should just leave as they can make people disappear and beat them up. I then stood up and left. I later received a report that my son was involved in an altercation with members of the neighbourhood watch committee.”
The deceased is said to have queried why members of other political parties were not being registered and it was later decided that Gwambe 2 villagers should come back the following day for registration.
On the following when they arrived for the meeting, a member of the neighbourhood watch committee who was identified as Twoboy Moyo called the now deceased aside.
“Moyo called the now deceased aside and an altercation ensued between the two. Moyo called other members of the neighbourhood watch committee and they handcuffed Ndlovu and beat him up,” said a source privy to the matter.
Meanwhile, Simeleni Ncube the wife of the now deceased said after arresting her husband the neighbourhood watch committee came with her husband to their homestead at around 9pm.
“Around 9pm they came to our homestead in a police van with my husband, who was still handcuffed,” Ncube narrated her ordeal.
“They hooted and I woke up went to the gate, they demanded that I open for them, I did that and they entered our homestead. They demanded that I give them my husband’s motorbike and the knife he attempted to stab Moyo with, I told them I didn’t know of any knife and they proceeded to take the motorbike and put it in the police van.”
Ncube said she was ordered to pack food for her husband in a lunchbox and give him a jacket and a pair of trousers.
“When I tried to inquire what was going on, Moyo told me to not speak to him as if I am speaking to my husband or else he will beat me up,” narrated the wife.
“The following morning I went Plumtree Police Station to enquire on the whereabouts of my husband and they told me he was not there and I should go and check at the court. I could not find him at the court. I went back to the police station at around 4 pm and one officer told me that my husband was at Plumtree hospital.”
Ncube said the police officer accompanied her to the hospital and when they arrived at the hsopital her husband was being wheeled into a waiting ambulance and he was being transferred to the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH).
“He was no longer speaking as he was badly beaten. I was later on told that he had passed on,” she said.
Matabeleland South Provincial Police Spokesperson, Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident but declined to give more details saying the issue was now before the courts.
