Allegations are that Sigoge, who works as Nkomo's chief security
officer, tried to kill Masunda but missed and instead shot his brother
Patrick five times in an ambush at the lodge last Saturday. He was shot
in the buttocks when he stepped out of a car and fell to the ground,
according to the news website. A further 4 shots were fired at him
while he lay on the ground. The victim was admitted to Bulawayo's Mater
Dei hospital. The suspicion is that Nkomo might have tried to
assassinate the farmer he is locked in dispute with.
The matter has been equally messy in the courts. It's reported the High
Court, in a default judgment, recently gave Nkomo the right to occupy
part of the farm where the lodges are situated, while Masunda was
allocated the area containg the farm house. Despite the serious nature
of the allegations against Sigoge who shot Masunda, police spokesman
Wayne Bvudzijena is quoted as saying the brothers might have provoked
the situation'. The brothers meanwhile insist the attack happened on
their side of the farm and they have information Nkomo hired 14
ex-combatants to kill Langton Masunda.
The matter however has highlighted the chaos that has marred the land
reform exercise. The farm taken over by Masunda was originally grabbed
from its former white owner, only for Nkomo, a senior government
official, to now come and seek to grab it away. Nkomo has been battling
to take the farm despite losing several court challenges over the
years. He claims the farm is within his Lugo Ranch which he allocated
to himself in 2003 when he was Lands Minister.
SWRadio Africa
Post published in: News