A 46-year-old man from Tembwe Chiefdom in Chama District is fighting for his life after being violently attacked by an angry crowd during the funeral of a 63-year-old woman who died from an elephant attack.
The victim, named Malama Manda from Vwila Village, suffered serious injuries after being hit in the head and legs with an axe, stoned, and beaten with sticks and blocks by a group of mourners who blamed him for the woman’s death.
Sources who wanted to stay anonymous said that Mr. Manda had a past argument with the deceased, Grace Kaluba, where he supposedly made a scary threat, saying that either he or she would die. Just three days later, Ms. Kaluba was killed by an elephant.
This strange timing made the community very angry. Around noon, four people, whose names are kept secret for the investigation, broke into Mr. Manda’s home, attacked him, and dragged him to the funeral house. Once there, they demanded he explain his fights with the deceased.
Witnesses reported that Mr. Manda didn’t say anything, which led one of the four to hit him on the head three times with an axe, while the others joined in the beating. The mob thought he was dead and eventually stopped the attack.
Two men at the funeral quickly took the badly injured Mr. Manda to Tembwe Rural Health Centre. The health facility manager, Emmanuel Mwaanga, confirmed that the victim had three deep wounds on his head and serious cuts on both legs below the knees.
Mr. Mwaanga also mentioned that while they managed the bleeding and stitched the wounds, Mr. Manda has been sent to Chama District Hospital for more advanced medical treatment.
Meanwhile, the police have not yet released an official statement about the incident, as investigations are still ongoing.
