The youths were reportedly coming from the Robert Gabriel
Mugabe International Airport where they had gone to bid farewell to Malawian
President Dr Lazarus Chakwera at the end of his two-day State visit.
When the youths arrived at a housing project, which is
being developed by CFI Holdings, they were informed that one of their
colleagues, identified as Tonderai Marongwe, had been arrested by guards
manning the property in Ushewokunze.
It is said when they went to the CFI offices to inquire
about their fellow Youth League member’s arrest, they were chased away by armed
guards who fired shots.
Ten youths were resultantly hit by gunfire and one of them
died on the spot while nine others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul
Nyathi confirmed the shooting, saying two security guards had since been
arrested.
Investigations into the matter are in progress. “We confirm
that one person was shot and died while other people were injured.
“Two guards have been picked by police in connection with
the incident. It seems there was a dispute between some youths and some
cooperative members which resulted in the shooting incident.
“Two guards are currently in police custody and
investigations are in progress. Reports are that these guards are contracted by
CFI. Nine suspects were arrested for criminal trespass, but what is clear is
that there are land disputes in that area,” he said.
When The Herald arrived at the scene yesterday, Zanu PF
youths were gathered outside the CFI offices singing revolutionary songs. They
said the shootings were unfair as they did nothing wrong.
Zanu PF District Coordinating Committee (DCC) secretary for
economic affairs Zone 6, Cde Victor Mhazi Zindonda, narrated the circumstances.
Cde Zindonda alleged that the deceased was arrested for
trespassing on CFI property after returning from the airport.
After being informed of the arrest of the deceased, the
youths went to the CFI offices for inquiries where an altercation ensued with
the guards.
“The youths came to me and told me that Tonderai Marongwe
had been arrested by the guards at Cresta. We then went with other comrades to
inquire on what had happened.
“We were not armed and I told my fellow comrades not to be
violent. When we arrived we asked why they had arrested Tonderai and they
refused to talk to us. They told us to wait while they made a phone call and to
our surprise they opened fire,” he said.
Cde Zindonda said they were shocked by the guards’ actions as they had gone to the offices in peace.
Zanu PF acting national spokesperson Cde Patrick Chinamasa
said he was not aware of the shootings.
“I do not have the facts yet. Whoever shot them has
committed a criminal offence and must face the full wrath of the law,” he said.
When reached for comment, CFI company secretary Mr
Panganayi Hare asked for written questions, but did not respond and was not
reachable. Herald
0 comments:
Post a Comment