BEITBRIDGE – Three soldiers have been arrested after a man attending evening prayers on a mountain was shot dead in Beitbridge, close to the border with South Africa.
Thirty-seven-year-old Jevas Masvina, of Stauze suburb in Beitbridge, was with seven others from the Zion Christian Church going for night prayers at around 8PM last Saturday when they were confronted by three armed soldiers.
The area where the incident happened is a route popular with cigarette smugglers – but criminals also lurk hoping to rob the smugglers and illegal migrants using undesignated points to enter South Africa.
It is unclear whether the men mistook the soldiers for robbers, or if the soldiers mistook the men for smugglers.
After the three soldiers ordered the men to lie down, the worshippers allegedly defied the order and picked up stones instead. The soldiers opened fire and Masvina was struck by a bullet in the ribcage.
The soldiers fled upon realising that they had killed a man but were later apprehended after police were called.
Chief Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo, the officer commanding Beitbridge district, said: “We have three suspects in custody who are assisting us with investigations. They will soon appear in court charged with murder.”
