Cricket chiefs come to blows
Bone of contention said to be a piece of land. Both want to build on it
Two Border cricket bosses have filed criminal complaints against one another after a dispute over a piece of land turned violent at the weekend.
The scuffle that broke out between Border Cricket president Simphiwe Ndzundzu and former Warriors batsman Sinethemba Mjekula occurred at KwaMasingatha outside King William’s Town.
Mjekula, who is vice-president of rural cricket in the Border region, alleges that Ndzundzu assaulted him, his sister Zoliswa and his mother Thembeka, 63, at their family home in the village.
At one point Ndzundzu used his mother’s crutch to assault him, Mjekula said.
He has since opened a case at the Zwelitsha police station.
But Ndzundzu has laid a counter complaint against Mjekula, saying he is the victim.
Each man gave his version of Saturday’s events to the Dispatch on Wednesday.
Mjekula, who said he sustained a knee and shoulder injury during the fight, alleged Ndzundzu was trying to dispossess him of land given to him by a man he knew only as “Mr Mzana”. This man used to run a poultry farm on the disputed land, he said.
Ndzundzu insists the site belongs to him.
Mzana’s phone number, provided by Mjekula to the Dispatch, went straight to voicemail.
Both men want to build houses on the land.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson captain Khaya Tonjeni confirmed that both Mjekula and Ndzundzu had opened cases.
“The first one is a case of malicious damage to property (laid by Mjekula), while the second one relates to grievous bodily harm (Ndzundzu and Mjekula). In both cases there are no arrests and investigations continue,” said Tonjeni.
Mjekula said his family had been so traumatised by Ndzundzu’s “attack” they were now undergoing counselling.
“This man violated my home in broad daylight.”
He said on Saturday, Ndzundzu had come to his house to look for him. He had not been there the first time, but later found him inside the house when he returned, he said.
“I found Simphiwe waiting for me in the lounge. I greeted him and his response was to hit me on my head with a stick. Then the scuffle broke out. Furniture in the house has been broken as a result,” he said.
“He pushed my sister and took my mother’s crutch and beat me with it. I didn’t want to retaliate and I asked my sister to take pictures of him while I restrained him on the floor,” said Mjekula.
Mjekula’s sister, Zoliswa, told the Dispatch Ndzundzu had broken her left arm.
“He was fighting with my brother in the dining room and I was trying to stop them, and Simphiwe hit me with the stick on the arm. Now I just came out of the hospital where they put cement [a splint] on my arm. It’s badly broken,” she said.
Mjekula insisted their dispute was rooted in the land issue, not cricket politics.
“This is about a piece of land that was given to the community by Mr Mzana. Once Simphiwe noticed that the site was clean and building works were starting he came to me demanding that land, claiming it belonged him.
“He demolished a structure on the site and I offered him his own piece of land, but he refused and I asked him to open a case with the police. We were told to stay away from the site until there’s consensus, but he took the site.”
Ndzundzu denied assaulting Mjekula or his family, saying he only retaliated. “On the day Sinethemba was the one who was aggressive. I went there to see his father and he attacked me. I had to defend myself.”
“So I have opened a case with the police. Strangely enough he says I’ve assaulted his family but I never touched his family. In his police statement, where he’s under oath, he doesn’t mention anything about me harming his family except for him.”
“According to his statement with the police, his sister was knocked over during the altercation. So now that’s with the cops.”
Ndzundzu said Mjekula attacked him while he sat on the couch in the lounge. “I asked him what he was doing on my site (land) and he asked me what I was going to do about it. That’s when he attacked me on the couch. That’s when his sister got injured.”
Border Cricket acting CEO Stuart Fortuin declined to comment on the matter. “I’m sorry but I can’t comment on this, sir. I’m sure you will understand that.”