A Chimanimani villager was on Monday shot dead by a security guard in a land dispute between villagers and Ariston Holdings’ Roscommon Estate.
Part of the Estate was seized by the government and handed over to villagers in 2002. The company obtained a court order to evict the villagers and it proceeded to destroy their homes and banana crops.
On Monday night some villagers whose property was destroyed by Ariston Holdings went to the estate to guard their belongings.
Manicaland deputy police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Luxon Chananda confirmed the incident on Wednesday. He said:
They (the villagers/settlers) attacked a security guard on duty. The guard tried to defend himself by firing into the mob. Beware Tsarai was shot and he died while another person was injured and rushed to the hospital.
Ariston Holdings human resources head Brian Kangondo said they were evicting the settlers in terms of a court order granted in their favour in 2012.
He added that the villagers were allowed to harvest the crops they had planted during the 2017-18 season and then leave, but they stayed put.
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