'Prophet'-cum-police officer appears in court

A police officer based at Mataga in Mberengwa who recently played "prophet", and "exposed" seven of his fellow police officers who he said were concealing evidence by throwing dockets in Blair toilets has been hauled before Zvishavane magistrate courts facing charges of making a false report as well as theft charges.

The "prophet"-cum-police officer, Timothy Mutsengi (28), allegedly went into a trance last month and caused panic within the Mataga Police Station in Mberengwa by "prophesying" that his colleagues were receiving bribes to destroy incriminating evidence.

Senior police officers in the Midlands Province, among them the Acting Officer Commanding Midlands Province, Assistant Commissioner Learn Ncube, quickly rushed to Mataga Police Station to witness the police "prophet" Mutsengi in action.

The police immediately undertook their own search of the area based on Mutsengi's prophecy leading to the recovery of a docket, a register book and a docket movement book from one of the police camp's Blair toilets.
Five police officers were arrested as a result of the prophet-based investigations.

Mutsengi is now being charged together with a fellow police constable, Brighton Tendayi Mawire (30) for giving a false report and theft.

The two were arraigned before Zvishavane magistrate, Mrs Mildred Matuvi.

They pleaded not guilty to both counts and were remanded to 17 May on $50 bail each.

For the State, Mr William Man'ombe said on 23 February this year and at Mataga Police Station, Mutsengi who was acting in connivance with Mawire got into the police records office and took away a crime register book with cases ranging between March 2011 and January 2012.

Mr Man'ombe said the two also stole a docket movement book and a docket CR71/1/12 in which Mawire was the accused under the sexual offences act.

The court heard that the two then threw the books and the docket into a Blair toilet in the police camp.

Mr Man'ombe said during police investigations on the whereabouts of the stolen books and a docket, Mutsengi pretended to be a prophet and suddenly fell into a trance. While still in that trance-like stance, he immediately urged other police officers at the camp to gather and pray with him.

He said senior police officers from the province were also called in for the "prayer" session which was conducted the whole day.

Mr Man'ombe said after hours of praise singing and prayer, Mutsengi led the police officers, including the police provincial commanders, to a Blair toilet where the books and the docket were thrown into.

He said some police officers then started destroying the Blair toilet leading to the recovery of the crime register book, the docket movement book and a docket.

Mr Man'ombe said five police officers at the station were immediately arrested.

He said further investigations implicated Mutsengi and Mawire leading to their subsequent arrest.