Nkomo shooting victim charged with 'public violence'

Nkomo shooting victim charged with 'public violence'

WEAPON: A Browning pistol like the one above used in shooting of Nkomo's business rival

• Nkomo's security chief tells cops he shot farmer's brother

• Nkomo's security offiver in court over shooting

• Nkomo's security officers held over farm shooting

• Nkomo fingered in land row gun attack

• Zim must pay Dutch farmers £7,3m - tribunal

• Madzongwe named in fresh farm grab

• Mutambara leads probe into farm invasions

• Ministers threatened with arrest in white farmer's case

• Mugabe says farm invasion reports 'lies'

• Tsvangirai orders farm invaders arrested

• Mnangagwa sucked into GMB inputs scam

• Mugabe vows to press on with land seizures

• MDC set to sanction MPs named in farm inputs scandal

• Feudalism: the real problem with Zimbabwe's agriculture

• Zanu PF councillor, senator busted over inputs scam

• Renson Gasela: Zimbabwe faces food deficit in 2010

• 'Your people will stone you on the streets' - what Cook told Mudenge

• Court says Zim wrong to take over German company's farm

• Mugabe says tribunal ruling on white farmers 'exercise in futility'

• Zimbabwe rejects ruling on white farms

• SADC tribunal rules 78 white farmers can keep their land

• Zimbabwe wants Britain to compensate white farmers

• Kudakwashe Marazanye: More black casualties in Mugabe's ego fight with whites

• Renson Gasela: Zimbabwe's dilemma - growing food for people or cars?

• Joram Nyathi: Propaganda has its limits

• Gasela: Zimbabwe must brace for food deficit next year

• Paul Boateng: Zimbabwe broke land deal

• Mutambara: Clumsy Zanu PF propaganda on farms

By Lindie Whiz
Posted to the web: 19/05/2009 01:00:03
POLICE are preparing “public violence” charges against the man shot FIVE TIMES by John Nkomo’s security officer on a disputed Gwayi safari farm last week, his lawyer said.

Patrick Masunda successfully underwent surgery on Monday to remove two bullets lodged in his body after the May 9 gun attack at Jijima Lodge by war veteran, Eddie Sigoge, an aide to the Zanu PF national chairman and Minister of State in the President’s Office.

Sigoge was arrested and bailed to appear in court on May 27. He told police he shot at Masunda and led them to the scene for indications. The gun used in the attack, a Browning pistol, was also recovered.

The Masunda family says the real target of the gun raid was Langton, elder brother to Patrick, who has been locked in a land dispute with Nkomo for five years.

Langton was charged with a public violence offence last Friday, his lawyer Bonani Majoko said.

Police also want to charge Patrick and two others who were at the lodge on the night of the attack.

Majoko said he was baffled by the charges against the Masunda brothers which he sees as an attempt to distract attention from Nkomo’s potential involvement in the failed attempt on the life of his business rival.

The lawyer said police combed Langton Masunda’s residence at Volunteer Farms 47-49 last Friday after turning up with a search warrant.

“They said they were searching for evidence of dual citizenship on his part, the suspicion being that he was a holder of a Norwegian passport. After that, he was taken to the station and charged with the offence of public violence, as well as contempt of court. Statements were recorded from him,” said Majoko.

“Quite frankly, I don’t know what the basis of these charges is. It appears the police indicated they arose from the night of the attack, but the brothers only got to Jijima Lodge late at night, they never got violent towards anyone because they never saw anyone.”

Police are set to charge Patrick and their other two brothers on Tuesday, the lawyer said.

Meanwhile, Majoko said they had written to the Attorney General to seek clarification on the gun used in the attack. Prosecutors said at Sigoge’s arraignment that he was not the registered owner of the pistol, but there were no details provided on who owns the weapon.

“We specifically want to know if Sigoge will face charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, and if the firearm is licensed to someone else, we want to know under what circumstances that person parted with that firearm. There may very well be a case for a private prosecution concerning the gun.”

The lawyer said he “couldn’t say with certainty” who owns the gun, but a Masunda family spokesman, Brian Masunda, said they had information it was registered to Nkomo.
JOIN THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
newsdesk@newzimbabwe.com