POLICE are investigating the murder of commercial farmer Malcolm Francis’s daughter Catherine, who was killed by unknown attackers early this week.
MOSES MATENGA/TAPIWA ZIVIRA
Catherine and Malcolm were brutally attacked by yet-to-be-known people as they were taking a walk around their farm in Guruve, Mashonaland Central province. She succumbed to the injuries on Wednesday, while Malcolm is recovering after he underwent surgery.
National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed the death, but could not give details, saying investigations were underway.
“I can confirm the incident. Our officers are investigating the case,” she said.
The Commercial Farmers’ Union (CFU) also confirmed the murder, describing it as shocking and calling on police and relevant authorities to bring the culprits to book.
“This is an atrociously appalling attack, very outrageous and damaging. It gives a wrong impression on Zimbabwe and the police must act decisively on this,” CFU president Charles Taffs said.
“We want to see action and people can’t hide behind political clout in doing criminal acts, police must act.”
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Taffs, however, said he was not privy to the circumstances surrounding the murder.
He urged government authorities to deal with the “cowardly and barbaric attack with the full resolve that it deserves”.
Said Taffs: “Furthermore, we condemn this attack in the strongest terms and we urge the authorities to act quickly and decisively in stabilising our commercial farming sub-sector in the shortest possible time.”
Sources said the two went for a walk when the unknown assailants pounced on them.
They were found unconscious and ferried to hospital in Harare where on Wednesday Catherine succumbed to the injuries she sustained during the attack. “They decided to take a walk along the small Gurungwe gap road connecting Mvurwi-Guruve Road and Centenary-Mazowe Road. At around 5pm, that is when they were attacked,” a farm worker who requested anonymity told NewsDay yesterday.
The attack brought memories of the farm invasions that started in 2000 and resulted in the injury and death of several commercial farmers around the country.
