A 19-year-old man is being treated at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) after a stray bullet hit him when Blantyre Water Board (BWB) security guards opened fire in an attempt to scare him and his friends at the restricted Mudi Dam on Sunday.
The victim is Yohane Stephano from Chinula Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Kapeni in Blantyre, but a resident of Ndirande Township.
Limbe Police deputy spokesperson Wedson Nhlane confirmed the shooting yesterday describing it as accidental.
He said: “Stephano and his colleagues went to fish at the dam. In the course of fishing, BWB guards appeared and advised them to leave, but they resisted.
“Seeing that the boys were resisting to leave and were becoming stubborn, the guards shot to scare them and it was at that time that a stray bullet hit the boy in his left leg as his other friends run away.”
Nhlane said investigations were underway to get finer details about the shooting incident.
While confirming that the shooting incident took place, BWB spokesperson Priscilla Mateyu said: “Mudi catchment area is a restricted land and any unauthorised entry is prohibited. The public should know that access to the catchment area is restricted to protect water quality by managing the environment around Mudi Dam.
“The board further states that any violators found cutting down trees and practicing any farming activities within the land; or washing, swimming and fishing at Mudi Dam risk serious confrontation with armed guards.” n
