THE ATTEMPTED murder trial of former Zipra commander and late Vice-President John Landa Nkomo’s chief security officer Eddie Sigoge has started five years after he allegedly shot and wounded one person in a farm dispute in the Gwayi Conservancy.
RICHARD MUPONDE SENIOR COURT REPORTER
The farm dispute was between Nkomo and Langton Masunda.
Sigoge (66), a retired army colonel of Lobengula West in Bulawayo, is accused of shooting Patrick, the brother of Langton and firing shots at a vehicle with seven other occupants who were ferrying the injured Patrick to hospital.
Nkomo’s dispute with Langton was over the ownership of Jijima Lodge and the 611,79-hectare safari farm it is situated on.
Sigoge yesterday pleaded not guilty to eight counts of attempted murder and unlawful possession of a firearm when he appeared before Hwange resident regional magistrate for the Western Division, Damudzo Malunga and was remanded out of custody to February 17 on $100 bail.
Nkomo’s son, Jabulani, testified as one of Sigoge’s defence witnesses and stuck to the ownership of the farm, which he said belonged to his late father during the time of the shooting. However, when the shooting took place on May 9 2009 the conservancy was in dispute as Nkomo was still fighting to wrestle it from Langton.
Nkomo was only granted ownership of the farm on May 2 2012 by the Supreme Court, three years after the shooting incident. Prosecutor Sifelumusa Fuzane said Sigoge had quarrelled with Patrick on May 9 2009 over the occupation of Jijima Lodge.
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Patrick wanted Sigoge and dozens of Nkomo’s employees to vacate the property insisting that they were trespassing. The State will seek to prove that Sigoge pulled out a Browning pistol and shot Patrick four times in the pelvis area. After the shooting, Patrick was picked up by seven of his colleagues to rush him to hospital.
