Political motive ruled out in murder case

POLICE have discounted any political motive in a case in which two people were murdered, while five others were injured in Kwekwe after an attack at a shebeen on Thursday.

In a statement last night, police said the murder and assault emanated from a dispute over gold proceeds from Amatava Mine in which one Sufficient Sibanda felt he had been duped.

It is reported that there was a gold rush at the mine and Sibanda felt he had been cheated in sharing the proceeds of a sale by one Jowa.

Sibanda is said to have hired a 15-member gang which included his brothers-in-law Lovemore and Lyton Ganyani to hunt down Jowa. The gang descended on a shebeen in Mbizo in which they indiscriminately assaulted patrons with machetes, resulting in the death of two people and injury to five others.

National police spokesman Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi said: “The incident, which resulted in murder and assault perpetrated by Sufficient Sibanda and his gang is not linked to any politically-motivated violence as alleged in some sections of the media and it is a purely criminal act. Police investigations are ongoing.”

The statement said police were appealing for information which could lead to the arrest of Sibanda, Lovemore Ganyani and Lyton Ganyani.

“Police would like to warn in no uncertain terms that criminal violence of this nature will not be tolerated and will make sure that all perpetrators of these criminal acts are brought to book,” said the statement.