Zanu-PF activists destroy village head's homestead

SIX villagers, including a teacher and a Zanu-PF councillor from Fort Rixon in Matabeleland South province, have been hauled to court on allegations of destroying a village head's homestead, accusing him of allocating land to people from outside Chief Jahana's area.

Shame Mathe, a teacher at Insangu Primary School, and Insangu villagers — Holiday Ndlovu, Virginia Mathe, Eva Ndlovu, Nqobile Dlodlo and councillor Edith Gumbo stand accused of pulling down village head Ernest Nxumalo's home on June 11 this year.

They were yesterday not asked to plead to charges of malicious damage to property when they appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Tinashe Tashaya. The accused who are out of custody on free bail were remanded to July 27 for trial.

State allegations are that on June 11 this year, the accused in the company of several other suspected Zanu-PF activists still at large, stormed Nxumalo's homestead armed with stones and knobkerries, and destroyed his huts.

Property worth $1 728 was allegedly destroyed.

They allegedly accused Nxumalo of grabbing their grazing land and illegally parcelling it out to people from other areas including Bulawayo.

Nxumalo reported the case to police, leading to the accused persons' arrest.