GWANDA residents have expressed mixed feelings over the police ban on the carrying of traditional weapons such as knobkerries.
The ban was imposed in response an increase in violent crimes.
Some residents said policing authorities needed to consider that carrying of certain traditional weapons was part of a wider cultural practice of some communities.
Gwanda United Residents Association chairperson Collette Moyo argued that police imposed the ban without considering cultural traditions.
“How do you ban people from carrying traditional weapons, especially in cultures like the xhosa, where carrying a knobkerrie is part of their heritage?” Moyo asked.
“Yes, some misuse these weapons to harm others, but this law unfairly targets innocent people.”
Arthur Moyo also expressed dissatisfaction with the ban.
“The law is a bit harsh,” he said.
- I will definitely win 2023 elections: Mwonzora
- We will rule forever: ED says
- Measles death toll hits 650
- Govt challenges youths to participate in tourism
Keep Reading
“The xhosa people carry knobkerries as part of their tradition, so the government should have been lenient.”
But other Gwanda residents said the ban on the carrying of the weapons was necessary to ensure the safety of citizens.
“Gwanda was becoming unsafe,” Blessing Makombe said.
“We know certain individuals who carry knives around.
“Now that the police have stepped in, we feel safer.”
Matabeleland South acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Stanford Mguni, however, said there was need to ensure the safety of all residents.
“As the police, we are still enforcing this ban to maintain order and in this section of the ban, this law was enforced throughout the country without fear or favour,” he said.
Mguni said law enforcement agents were conducting patrols across business centres, villages, residential areas, farms and mining sites to enforce the ban.
He said the patrols included stop and search operations with those found on the wrong side of the law facing arrest and imprisonment of up to six months.
“This is an opportunity to track down wanted individuals, violent mining gangs and their leaders,” Mguni said.
The ban remains an issue, with residents split between safety concerns and the preservation of cultural heritage.
