Thyolo district commissioner Hudson Kuphanga has urged chiefs to stay away from relief distribution exercises targeting hunger-stricken people.

This follows a last-night incident where some angry villagers beat up chiefs at Mkhathe as the people from Senior Chief Mphuka were receiving relief maize flour.

Kuphanga said chiefs need to let the district council officials and other relevant structures manage the exercises, as chiefs are naturally suspected by their subjects.

Senior Chief Mphuka, who was among the assaulted chiefs, said the fracas ensued when the district council officials brought 10 trucks of flour with a list of beneficiaries, which also had names of other people benefiting from other social protection interventions.

Chief Mphuka said when the local leaders tried to correct the apparent anomaly, the irate locals pelted stones at them, who had to run away, leaving six trucks of vehicles with flour.

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