News / National
Zhombe man accuses Police, Kwekwe Magistrates Court of corruption
06 Aug 2015 at 14:00hrs | Views
A Zhombe man who was recently brutally assaulted by six men at a local dip tank has accused the Zhombe police and Kwekwe Magistrates Court of corruption, after his assailants were sentenced to a few hours of community service.
The man (name supplied) was allegedly attacked by the six assailants (names supplied) for being a 'show off'.
He claims that he was brutally assaulted by knockerries and logs, resulting in him receiving serious bodily harm, as he believed the men wanted to kill him.
'I was so badly hurt such that my relatives had to ferry me to the Zhombe police station and hospital in a wheelbarrow, as I could barely walk,' he said.
He added that his assailants only fled the scene when a worker at the dip tank phoned the police. 'When I got to the police station, they (the police) took a statement and asked me to get a medical report from Zhombe hospital.'
He said that he obtained the medical report, which he gave the Zhombe police. His injuries included broken bones and swelling, such that he was referred to Kwekwe General Hospital as a result of the gravity of his injuries. He went on to say that he received treatment at Kwekwe hospital for four days. 'When I returned to Zhombe, I was immediately summoned to the police station where the police urged me to withdraw the charges against the six assailants, without giving any reasons. Needless to say, I refused,' he said.
He further alleged that days later he was told by the investigating officer (name supplied) that his medical report has disappeared. At that moment he knew that some corrupt activities were taking place, he claimed.
He said that he made a formal complaint to the Commanding Officer (name supplied) who subsequently ordered the arrest of the six assailants.
However, when the case was eventually heard at the Kwekwe Magistrates Court, the six got away with paltry community service sentences.
'What makes me accuse the police and court of corruption is that the assailants themselves bragged to me that nothing could happen to them because they sold their cattle in order to pay bribes, both to the police and the prosecutor.'
He further cited incidents in which he alleged that the same assailants were implicated but got away without punishment - and the same prosecutor (name supplied) handled the cases. These allegations come amid a growing storm of dissatisfaction from a cross-section of Kwekwe society over the handling of cases at the local magistrates court.
They urge authorities to seriously investigate the officials at the court for alleged corruption and misconduct. This also comes in the wake of open bragging by a woman who was recently convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment by the Kwekwe Magistrates Court for illegal possession of explosives, but had her sentence allegedly overturned by the same court after she claims she paid the prosecutor and magistrate US$300.
The man (name supplied) was allegedly attacked by the six assailants (names supplied) for being a 'show off'.
He claims that he was brutally assaulted by knockerries and logs, resulting in him receiving serious bodily harm, as he believed the men wanted to kill him.
'I was so badly hurt such that my relatives had to ferry me to the Zhombe police station and hospital in a wheelbarrow, as I could barely walk,' he said.
He added that his assailants only fled the scene when a worker at the dip tank phoned the police. 'When I got to the police station, they (the police) took a statement and asked me to get a medical report from Zhombe hospital.'
He said that he obtained the medical report, which he gave the Zhombe police. His injuries included broken bones and swelling, such that he was referred to Kwekwe General Hospital as a result of the gravity of his injuries. He went on to say that he received treatment at Kwekwe hospital for four days. 'When I returned to Zhombe, I was immediately summoned to the police station where the police urged me to withdraw the charges against the six assailants, without giving any reasons. Needless to say, I refused,' he said.
He further alleged that days later he was told by the investigating officer (name supplied) that his medical report has disappeared. At that moment he knew that some corrupt activities were taking place, he claimed.
He said that he made a formal complaint to the Commanding Officer (name supplied) who subsequently ordered the arrest of the six assailants.
However, when the case was eventually heard at the Kwekwe Magistrates Court, the six got away with paltry community service sentences.
'What makes me accuse the police and court of corruption is that the assailants themselves bragged to me that nothing could happen to them because they sold their cattle in order to pay bribes, both to the police and the prosecutor.'
He further cited incidents in which he alleged that the same assailants were implicated but got away without punishment - and the same prosecutor (name supplied) handled the cases. These allegations come amid a growing storm of dissatisfaction from a cross-section of Kwekwe society over the handling of cases at the local magistrates court.
They urge authorities to seriously investigate the officials at the court for alleged corruption and misconduct. This also comes in the wake of open bragging by a woman who was recently convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment by the Kwekwe Magistrates Court for illegal possession of explosives, but had her sentence allegedly overturned by the same court after she claims she paid the prosecutor and magistrate US$300.
Source - Tendai Ruben Mbofana
