Two people were killed during a stampede after the police disrupted a performance by Zimdancehall musician Winky D at the 2022 CASTLE Tankard, Borrowdale Race Course on Saturday night.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that 4 members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) stormed the stage, forcing the show to end abruptly.
Angry fans responded by throwing cans and bottles resulting in a stampede as fans tried to escape from the venue.
ZRP national spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the death of two people. In a statement, Nyathi said:
The Zimbabwe Republic Police is investigating the sad and unfortunate death of two people at Borrowdale Race Course on 7th May 2022 at 2205 hours due to a stampede after the Castle Tankard musical performance by Winky D.
The stampede victims have been identified as,
Thomas Maarira (43) of 1122 Hatcliffe Co-operative, Harare and Emilia Makoga (44) of Zvakatanga Sekuseka Co-operative, Phase 1 Hatcliffe, Harare.
The regrettable incident occurred while the public was on its way out of the Race Course through an inside exit point.
The Police express condolences to the bereaved families and assures the public that inquiries are in progress.
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The Zimbabwe Republic Police will continue to engage organizers of big social gatherings especially entertainment activities to ensure that a limited number of people is allowed access during musical performance.
Showbiz witnessed violence that took place during the Castle Tankard that were happening. Results of the fights is that people were drunk which ignites many confusion.
However, 4 members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police invaded the stage whilst Winky D was performing his fourth song forcing the show to end abruptly.
This angered fans who started throwing cans and bottles.
It is not clear why police stormed the stage and stopped the show. However, some critics have already started to assume that they were enforcing curfew regulations while some think that the move to stop Winky D’s performance was politically motivated.
