Zanu (PF) youths attack gwanda council employee

According to the Gwanda Mayor, Lionel DeNecker, the 15 youths who were coming from Bulawayo and on their way to Manama High School to attend Vice President John Nkomo’s victory celebrations assaulted Sipho Mdlongwa with clenched fists and booted feet.

Clr DeNecker said the youths stormed the council chambers at about 1pm and demanded to see Mrs Sipho Mdlongwa whom they were accusing of insulting President Mugabe.

“The 15 youths arrived in a white pick up truck inscribed Zanu (PF) Bulawayo Province and demanded that she comes outside, dragged her and proceeded to assault her with clenched fists and booted feet while accusing her of insulting the President,” he said.

However, DeNecker said the youths were not happy with the way Mrs Mdlongwa was distributing the 400 housing stands in the town but chose to hide behind the accusations of insulting the President.

“There are some divisions between Zanu (PF) and MDC councillors over the distribution of 400 housing stands against a waiting list of about 10 000 home seekers,” he said.

“Given a task of distributing the stands, Mrs Mdlongwa was bound to have a lot of enemies but it has to be understood that her decisions are informed by the Gwanda council. She does not maker those decisions on her own.”

DeNecker condemned the youths’ violent behavior saying the council dose not take kindly to abuse.

“She is old enough to be a mother to all those youths who assaulted her.

It is also a violation of gender to see these young men severely beating an elderly woman like that,” he said.

Matabeleland South police spokesperson Inspector Tafanana Dzirutwe confirmed the assault but said the assailants were not known yet.

“I can confirm that we received a report of assault but we do not have any evidence to prove that the assailants were Zanu (PF) youths. Investigations are still underway,” he said.