Two security guards allegedly shot and killed a man at Baguta Farm Compound in Chinhoyi, Mashonaland West Province on Saturday, 20 April, police have said.
The man was shot dead when the two guards were trying to disperse a crowd that had gathered in an attempt to scrounge for leftover maize cobs in the fields at the farm.
In a statement, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) said the now deceased had charged at the guards, armed with a knife when he was shot dead. Reads the statement:
<blockquote>
The ZRP confirms a shooting incident in which two security guards, Luckmore Mhiti (30) and Evans Jakarasi (33) shot dead a yet-to-be-identified man at Baguta Farm Compound, Chinhoyi on 20/04/24.
The victim had tried to attack the security guards with a knife after the security guards had fired warning shots to disperse a crowd which had gathered at the farm to pick leftover maize cobs in the fields.
The security guards were hired by the farm owner to provide security at the farm since he was harvesting maize using a combine harvester.
</blockquote>
According to a report, Zimbabwe’s maize harvest is expected to halve to 1.1 million tonnes in 2024 due to an El Niño-induced drought and this poses a huge grain deficit and threatens food security for poor households in the country.
The annual maize consumption requirement for human consumption in Zimbabwe is approximately 1.8 million tonnes, not counting animal feed.
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Man Shot Dead At A Farm During Stampede For Leftover Maize Cobs

The Zimbabwean Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, and Rural Development has reported that this year’s maize harvest will be 70% smaller than the previous season due to severe drought damage.
As per the Ministry’s outlook report, Zimbabwe’s maize production is projected to reach approximately 696,116 tonnes, a significant decline from the estimated 2.3 million tonnes for 2023.
 <a href="https://newzwire.live/report-zimbabwe-expects-maize-harvest-to-fall-70-to-lowest-levels-in-nearly-a-decade/">newZWire</a> highlights that this year’s harvest would be the smallest since 2016 when Zimbabwe managed to produce only 512,000 tonnes of maize.
An earlier report by the government last week said maize hectarage fell by 12% this season as farmers planted less. Said the Lands Ministry:
<blockquote>
The Government should aim to close the gap of 318,723 tonnes while the private sector can import as much as they want.
Combining maize, traditional grains and wheat, the strategic grain reserve is 434,293 tonnes excluding the Russia donation to the President of 25,000 tonnes.
</blockquote>
In 2023, Mashonaland West and Mashonaland East produced the most maize. This year, farmers in these two traditionally strong farm provinces were hit by low rainfall. The assessment says the Midlands will have the biggest harvest.
Mash West is projected to produce 290,005 tonnes, down from 523,023 last year. Mash East’s harvest is expected at 225,675 tonnes, from 415,574 tonnes last year.
Midlands will produce 381,056 tonnes, compared to 414,249 tonnes in 2023. The projection for Mashonaland Central is 207,966 tonnes from 342,249 tonnes.
Among the hardest hit provinces is Mat North, where the area planted under maize fell by 30%; the province will produce 95,726 tonnes this year after it performed better than expected last year with 82,739 tonnes.
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