The Sunday News
Peter Matika, Senior Reporter
A senior police officer based in Bulawayo is embroiled in a livestock wrangle where he is accused of failing to conclude a deal entered in 2015.
Chief Superintendent Mbeko Kunene is reported to have entered into a deal with his farm neighbour in Shangani — Mr James Mutema, who has been frantically trying to have the deal concluded.
It is alleged that sometime in 2015, Mr Mutema approached Chief Supt Kunene seeking assistance at his farm, where he asked the policeman to assist him in slaughtering one of his cows.
“It was sometime in 2015, where I approached him for assistance. One of my cows had given birth but was not well so I asked him to put it down. He agreed to do so and took the carcass for sale. He offered to replace my cow and that was fine with me. As time passed by that is when I started asking him when he intended to give me the replacement but he always came up with different excuses. From 2015 to date he has been dodging me and I am afraid he is using his position to avoid meeting his side of the deal,” said Mr Mutema in an interview.
He also said if the cow had been replaced on time it could have birthed two calves to date. Sunday News is in possession of alleged WhatsApp messages between the two, dating as far back as 2016, where Chief Supt Kunene acknowledged the deal and has, since 2015 been giving Mr Mutema different excuses.
In some of the messages, when quizzed, Chief Supt Kunene would both make excuses and claim that he was out of town or was waiting for his wife, who was in South Africa to complete the deal. Contacted for comment yesterday, Chief Supt Kunene, at first professed ignorance on the matter.
“The only neighbours I know are a woman and another man who I don’t have their surname. The only deal I know about is one I entered with my female neighbour MaNcube. She had a cow that had given birth and wasn’t looking healthy. I slaughtered it and got it off her hands, in fact I wasn’t there, it was my brother who did it and he is not available for comment.”
He later said he has been in touch with Mr Mutema telling him to come and collect his cow but has not done so. Chief Supt Kunene went on to say he had no reason to dupe Mr Mutema, as he regarded his mother as his own.
“His mother is like my mother, she has helped me in a lot of things, I practically see her as my mother,” he said.-@peterkmatika
