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Two brothers in court for stoning cops

by Staff Reporter
08 Jan 2014 at 11:13hrs | Views
 BULAWAYO - Two brothers, Nqobizitha Siziba, 31 and Reason Siziba, 22  from Makokoba suburb who teamed up to stone police officers have appeared in court  facing charges of assaulting or resisting a peace officer.

 The two were not asked to plead when they appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Witness Takundwa Mtetwa.

They were remanded out of custody on $50 bail each to January 17.

The state alleges that on New Year's Day at around 2pm, the Siziba brothers were celebrating at their home when a complainant Takunda Hove, who suspected that Nqobizitha had stolen some goods from his house, went to Mzilikazi Police Station to file a report.

Prosecutor Caroline Matanga told the court that Hove was escorted by two officers in plain clothes to where the suspect was hiding.

When the officers arrived and identified themselves before informing Nqobizitha that he was under arrest on theft allegations, his brother Reason intervened arguing that it was not possible for the cops to arrest his brother.

The court heard that Reason slapped Hove in the face, accusing him of being a liar but Nqobizitha intervened.

However, the two brothers turned tables against the police when they hurled stones at them forcing a retreat, the court heard.

When the cops had retreated, Nqobizitha assaulted Hove, hitting him with a stone on the head while Reason kept holding him.

The complainant sustained a deep cut on the head as a result of the assault.

The accused were later arrested after the cops sought reinforcements.

In a similar stoning incident, a drunk Cowdray Park man who allegedly hit his young brother to death with a stone over an unspecified argument on Friday night, has told investigating officers he cannot remember the incident.

In a police statement, Sibonginkosi Dlodlo, 23, picked up a stone and hit his brother Philisani, 21, on the forehead before drinking mates intervened to stop the fight.

A witness, Michael Phiri told police, the two brothers were drinking beer at a friend's house before picking up an argument as they left the house around 10pm.

Phiri said the brothers engaged in a fist fight which lasted for about three minutes before their mates intervened.

Without warning Sibonginkosi picked up a stone and hit his brother Philisani on the forehead.

Philisani fell to the ground but rose and told his friends who were among the crowd that he was going home while his brother continued to drink with friends who had advised him to stay behind and cool off his anger.

Philisani's dead body was found lying on the road side in the morning.

A post-mortem conducted revealed that Philisani died due to a head injury inflicted by a hard object.

Source - Daily News