Zanu-PF senior official stab two party members in land row

Zanu-PF Insiza rural district council chairperson Councillor Daniel Mpofu allegedly stabbed two Zanu-PF officials with a suspected Okapi knife while some youths used a knobkerrie and a whip to beat party members who were attending a meeting meant to facilitate the eviction of people who illegally bought land in the area.

Ironically, Clr Mpofu has been at the forefront of calling for the arrest of people linked to a scandal where land was illegally sold to desperate individuals for prices ranging from $500 to $1 000 or a single beast.

Clifford Machona and Mkhululi Ncube were nursing their wounds at United Bulawayo Hospitals last night while Mr Elijah Makhulumo, whose left hand was fractured, was struggling to raise $50 for an X-ray at the same hospital. Several others sought treatment after they had their backs whipped.

Machona, whose grey trousers was stained with blood, said Clr Mpofu instigated "his youths" to beat him after he asked why he came to his ward to address a meeting without informing him.

"I am the Zanu-PF ward 22 chairperson. There is no one who can come and address a meeting in my ward without advising me. I stood and asked Mpofu, who was in the company of Denis Ndlovu, to give me an explanation on who gave him the permission to hold a meeting," he said.

"He suddenly instigated his youths to beat us. One of them struck me on the back with a knobkerrie and Mpofu stabbed me. I became powerless and fell down and began to bleed before headman Dladla took me to hospital."

Police at Mbembesi, where the matter was reported, said their officers who attended the scene were yet to report back to the station.