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| The late Marxwell Matembudze |
Brighton Chiseva
ZAKA – Matembudze Village head Marxwell
Matembudze was shot dead by the police at his home in Ward 23, Chief Nyakunuwa
area in Zaka after he resisted arrest.
Matembudze
was among five suspected robbers who raided Lundi business centre on February
11 and robbed two businessmen, Chivi South Zanu PF parliamentary candidate
Munyaradzi Zizhou and Arnold Ncube.
The
robbers got away with close to US$20 000 and cell phones.
Masvingo
Provincial Police Spokesperson Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa confirmed the incident
and said it was unfortunate that one of the suspects in the Lundi robbery had resisted
lawful police intentions to arrest him.
“One
suspect was shot and died after he tried to attack the police who had gone to
arrest him. A number of electrical gadgets including cell phones, laptops and
television sets were recovered at his home,” said Dhewa.
Police
sources said on February 11, at 05:00hrs in the morning, police manning a
roadblock at 167 km peg along Masvingo-Beitbridge Road stopped a truck for
regular search.
“The
driver of the truck disembarked from the truck for the police to search but
four unidentified males jumped out and ran away. The police gave chase and one
of them dropped a satchel which was then picked up by the police,” said the
source
On
searching the bag, the police found a lockdown travel exemption letter which
bore the deceased’s name among other documents that indicated he was part of a
mining syndicate.
On
February 13 the police established that Matembudze was from Zaka and
investigations led them to his home around 21:00 hrs.
“They
knocked and identified themselves, then the deceased’s aunt identified as
Chiedza Matembudze came out and talked to the police during which Matembudze is
said to have came out and charged towards the police. They fired some warning
shots but he continued and this prompted the police to shoot him.
He
was taken to Msiso Mission Hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
A
number of people in his area are celebrating his death as he is said to have
been very troublesome and his subjects feared him.
“He
was a bully even during his childhood. He was not a registered village head but
he fought with his relatives over the village leadership until the registered
village head gave up and left him to do as he pleased,” said one villager
Another
one said the deceased was a known criminal and thief who used to tell people
that he was a thief but a sophisticated one who never stole from local
villagers as they did not have anything he prized.
Matembudze
died barely a week after his first wife had tried to commit suicide by taking
an unknown pesticide.
“He
had accused his wife of killing his love child and the wife threatened to kill
herself. Instead of restraining her, he gave her some rat poison to kill
herself. She was then taken to Msiso Hospital where she later recovered and
brought back home.
