Matembudze Village head Marxwell Matembudze was shot dead by the police at his home in Ward 23, Chief Nyakunuwa area in Zaka after he resisted arrest.
Matembudze was among five suspected robbers who raided Lundi business centre on February 11 and robbed two businessmen, Chivi South Zanu PF parliamentary candidate Munyaradzi Zizhou and Arnold Ncube.
The robbers got away with close to US$20 000 and cell phones.
Masvingo Provincial Police Spokesperson Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa confirmed the incident and said it was unfortunate that one of the suspects in the Lundi robbery had resisted lawful police intentions to arrest him.
“One suspect was shot and died after he tried to attack the police who had gone to arrest him. A number of electrical gadgets including cell phones, laptops and television sets were recovered at his home,” said Dhewa.
Police sources said on February 11, at 05:00hrs in the morning, police manning a roadblock at 167 km peg along Masvingo-Beitbridge Road stopped a truck for regular search.
“The driver of the truck disembarked from the truck for the police to search but four unidentified males jumped out and ran away. The police gave chase and one of them dropped a satchel which was then picked up by the police,” said the source
On searching the bag, the police found a lockdown travel exemption letter which bore the deceased’s name among other documents that indicated he was part of a mining syndicate.
On February 13 the police established that Matembudze was from Zaka and investigations led them to his home around 21:00 hrs.
“They knocked and identified themselves, then the deceased’s aunt identified as Chiedza Matembudze came out and talked to the police during which Matembudze is said to have came out and charged towards the police. They fired some warning shots but he continued and this prompted the police to shoot him.
He was taken to Msiso Mission Hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
A number of people in his area are celebrating his death as he is said to have been very troublesome and his subjects feared him.
“He was a bully even during his childhood. He was not a registered village head but he fought with his relatives over the village leadership until the registered village head gave up and left him to do as he pleased,” said one villager
Another one said the deceased was a known criminal and thief who used to tell people that he was a thief but a sophisticated one who never stole from local villagers as they did not have anything he prized.
Matembudze died barely a week after his first wife had tried to commit suicide by taking an unknown pesticide.
“He had accused his wife of killing his love child and the wife threatened to kill herself. Instead of restraining her, he gave her some rat poison to kill herself. She was then taken to Msiso Hospital where she later recovered and brought back home. -Tellzim
