The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Correspondent
THERE was drama in Chikanga on Saturday as residents bayed for the blood of a suspected thief who was caught preparing sadza inside a victim’s house in broad daylight.
The thief, who only identified himself as Lodza (Lloyd), was caught by the victim’s brother, Charles Ndadzungira.
Charles had come for a visit when he found Lloyd cooking in the kitchen.
When Lloyd tried to escape, Charles shouted for neighbours to help him catch the thief, prompting people to rush to the house and mete out mob justice on him.
The owner of the house, Rufaro Ndadzungira, had gone up the Murahwa Mountain to fetch firewood when the intruder decided to let himself into her house.
In an interview with The Manica Post, Charles said when he arrived at his sister’s house; he thought she was around as the door was open.
“I knocked and immediately got in, that is when I saw the guy at the stove preparing sadza. Beside him was a bag full of clothes and some kitchen pots.
‘‘I asked who he was and he gave me no definite answer. He tried to escape from the room and I immediately shouted that a thief was escaping,” said Charles as he proudly narrated his ordeal.
Lloyd was caught by neighbours at the gate and passersby joined in giving him a thorough hiding.
“He was really hurt and I hope he went to the hospital,” said Charles.
When The Weekender arrived at the scene, Lloyd had finally managed to escape.
Multitudes of angry residents were still at the scene, very eager to give testimony.
However, some neighbours were of the opinion that Lloyd could have been Rufaro’s boyfriend who hadn’t expected to bump into another man at his lover’s house.
Beauty Kanyenze, a neighbour, supported this school of thought.
“We don’t know how he escaped but he was bleeding all over. Angry neighbours gave him a thorough bashing but some are of the opinion that this Lloyd could have been Rufaro’s boyfriend.
“Upon seeing Charles, maybe Lloyd panicked and couldn’t reveal his true identity.
‘‘By failing to explain satisfactorily at the house, Charles then concluded that the guy was a thief but we are not really sure about that hey.
“When neighbours came rushing they had already been told that Lodza was a thief and they did not give him any chance to explain his position.
“They just assaulted him because recently we have had a spate of robberies in the area. Our water tapes are being stolen and some houses are being broken into,” she said.
Rufaro, however, said Lloyd was a thief who had been caught with his hands in the cookie jar.
“I don’t know why someone would target my house. There is nothing to steal in my house. Maybe that is why he had resorted to cooking sadza, he had not found anything to steal. I do not know this guy, everything happened as I was away,” she said.
Charles supported his sister.
“He is a thief. Why else would he have packed Rufaro’s clothes and pots in that bag?”
The matter was not reported to the police.
