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Hospital staff knock out patient's teeth over sitshwala/sadza

by Court Reporter
16 Dec 2013 at 01:42hrs | Views
A MENTALLY-ILL man admitted to Ingutsheni Hospital in Bulawayo lost two teeth following a brutal assault allegedly by three workers when she refused to eat isitshwala, a magistrate heard.

Bulawayo magistrate Gladmore Mushove on Friday heard how  on November 27, George Samambwa, 42, of Nketa 8, Vusumuzi Nzima, 36, of Entumbane and Chamunorwa Mugwagwa, 35, of Sizinda all employed as general hands,  ganged up and pinned down Samson Ndlovu before they brutally assaulted him.

He sustained facial bruises and a swollen eye.

Prosecuting, Caroline Matanga told the court that on that  day at about 12.45pm, Samson's mother, Rebecca Muzorori visited his son at Ingutsheni Hospital and gave him food, which he ate.

However, about 15 minutes later, Samson and other patients were beckoned to the facility's dining hall by  Mugwagwa so that they could have lunch.

Samson refused to eat and that did not go down well with Mugwagwa and he shouted at him, saying "Uyazenzisa (you are disrespectful) we are going to iron you."

He grabbed the complainant by his neck and pinned him down before Samambwa and Nzima joined him.

They punched Samson several times in the face kicking him in the mouth resulting in him losing two front teeth.

"As the complainant started bleeding profusely, the accused persons took him to the toilet where they ordered him to throw his teeth into the chamber. They then injected him with an intoxicating drug resulting in him falling unconscious," said Matanga.

When Samson's mother visited her son the following day, she discovered that he had a wound on the head and a swollen eye.

He narrated his ordeal to his mother who in turn took up the issue with hospital authorities and they promised to investigate.

The court heard that hospital authorities tried to sweep the matter under the carpet prompting Samson's mother to report the matter to the police leading to the trio's arrest.

The three accused persons were remanded out of custody to December 27 on $100 bail each.

Source - Zimpapers