Green Fuel guard shoots 3, one dies

The ManicaPost

A Green FUEL security guard last week shot three villagers, who were stealing sugar cane, killing one of them in the process. The guard, Bornface Shungwa (47) of Giri Village in Chivhu has since been arrested in connection with the shooting of the villagers and appeared in court on Monday facing murder charges. Shungwa who was employed as a security guard at Chisumbanje Ethanol Plant was not asked to plead when he appeared before Chipinge magistrate, Mr Noah Gwatidzo facing murder charges as defined in Section 47 (a) of Criminal
Law (Codification and Reforms) Act, Chapter 9:13.

He was not asked to plead and the matter was remanded to July 4. Mr Gwatidzo advised him to apply for bail at the High Court as he was facing a serious offence. Shungwa is represented by Mr Langton Mhungu of Matutu, Kwirira and Associates. Prosecuting, Mr Regis Mawarire told the court that on June 15, at Block J10, Macdom Sugar Plantations in Chisumbanje, Shungwa who was on guard duties armed with a Pietro Berretta shot gun, serial number A20045E fired three shots to scare away several unidentified people who had invaded the plantation to steal sugarcane. “The accused accidentally killed Itayi Chikwasha Matevere, a male adult aged 35 on the spot. “He slightly injured a female adult aged 23 on the nose and a male adult, Jairos Mapopo (19) on the lower left arm.
The three were stealing sugarcane.

“The late Matevere was shot in the chest from a distance of 60 meters . When Shungwa committed the crime he was in the company of his workmate, Laughter Garaudzo who was armed with a catapult,” said Mr Mawarire. After shooting the three, Shungwa called for transport from his superiors to ferry the injured to hospital. His superiors swiftly responded and took Matevere’s body to Chisumbanje Police Station. “Post mortem was carried out on June 17 at Chipinge District Hospital and its findings were that the cause of Matevere’s death was a result of bullet holes in his heart and lungs,” he said. When asked by the magistrate if he was the one who had fired the fatal shot, Shungwa admitted and said: “Your Worship, yes it is true that I told the investigating officers of this matter that I fired the shots to scare away people who were stealing sugarcane. Accidentally I shot three people who were hiding in the sugarcane field.”