Mphoko chickens out of 'Matebele Resistance' as masses run riot in Maleme

Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko failed to turn up for his much awaited Maleme Ranch meeting today in a clear chickening out of the volatile meeting.

Mphoko was expected to address Villagers of Maleme under instruction to make sure that villagers agreed to ZANU PF's bid to possess the farm from Peter Cunningham and give it to a senior Central Intelligence officer Rodrick Mashingaidze. The villagers grouped up to resist the move in defence of the Cunningham Family which the villagers declared as part of them.

The resistance by the villagers attracted attention from neighbouring villages and districts of Matabeleland South spreading to the entire Matabeleland region. Today's meeting attracted bus loads of people from all over Matebeleland who vowed to fight the hired war veterans and ZANU PF youth out of the area. The resistance has since been called The Matebele Resistance.

As early as 6am this morning scores of people in black and white t-shirts written "Singabantu sihlonipheni ezigabeni zethu" (We are people too please respect us in our areas) had gathered in the meeting venue singing Ndebele songs of war. By mid morning the crowd had gathered to hundreds of defiant singers scaring off the ZANU PF youth and War Veterans who had been brought in to intimidate people to allow Vice President Mphoko to announce that the farm had been taken away from the Cunninghams to Mashingaidze.

Media reports in the week indicated that ZANU PF had mobilised youth and war veterans from around Matobo to attend the meeting and denounce the Cunningham Family. Reports from within ZANU PF indicate that Mphoko had been given a specific instruction to make sure that the villagers are subdued and forced to accept the ZANU PF ruling.

Sensing the danger of humiliating the Vice President, intelligence officers are suspected to have advised him not to turn up for the meeting. On being announced that the Vice President was no longer coming, villagers left the meeting venue and stormed the farm breaking locks which had been put on the farm gates by Mashingaidze awaiting the high court ruling. At the time of writing this article, there was pandemonium in the farm as villagers evicted security details that had been left guarding the farm by Mashingaidze who himself did not turn up for the meeting.

In the meantime members of the Zimbabwe Republic police Support Unit from Fairbridge in Bulawayo are reported to be on their way to the farm to "instill order".

Bulawayo24 news remains on site and will be making updates of the situation as they happen.