A Zimbabwean immigrant accused of the rape of a middle-aged woman from Matangari was beaten to death by an angry crowd from the village last Friday night (2 September).
The man and his accomplice allegedly broke into the woman's house the night before (Thursday, 1 September). According to Matangari village's traditional leader, Vhamusanda Vho-Mutulagole Nyamande, the victim told them that one of the men had ransacked her house while the other one had raped her.
"After she had opened a case, the police brought her to my palace, where she detailed her ordeal. She said she knew the Zimbabwean as he had been living in the village for years," Nyamande said.
When the villagers heard about the incident on Friday morning, they ran amok, blocking the road between Dzimauli and Muhuyu with rocks and burning tyres and other flammable objects. Nyamande had to calm the angry crowd down, pleading with them not to take the law into their own hands, but rather to help the police with their investigation.
The following day, the community had a meeting at the royal palace and decided to go and look for the suspects themselves. According to the secretary of the Matangari Traditional Council, Mr Norman Siebathavha, some of the community members saw the suspect that same afternoon, next to the river. "When he saw the villagers, he ran and jumped into the river. After searching for him for some time, they found him hiding inside the reeds. They fished him out and took him to the royal palace, and the traditional leader called the police," he said.
However, while they were waiting for the police to arrive, the angry crowd started to interrogate the suspect, beating him with different objects, and he succumbed to his injuries.
Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the police at Mutale were investigating two cases - one of rape and one of murder. "We haven't effected any arrests yet. Police investigations continue," he said.