News / National
Former cop in hot soup
20 Oct 2017 at 01:46hrs | Views
A 72-year-old former cop appeared in court charged with impersonation after he allegedly claimed to be a police officer assigned to mobilise meat for the Presidential Interface Rally held in Lupane in July.
The court was told that Smart Sibusiso Tshuma from Village 6 in Inyathi was found in possession of two rifles without a licence when his vehicle was searched by police at a roadblock in Gwayi along the Victoria Falls-Bulawayo road on 23 July when he identified himself as Detective Inspector Kamba (force number 023432Y) stationed at Police General Headquarters in Harare in an attempt to avoid arrest.
The interface rally was held on 21 July.
Hwange magistrate Rose Dube on Monday heard that Tshuma who was in the company of two friends Mbonisi Dube and Sawu Ngwenya, failed to produce a licence authorising him to possess two rifles, a Point 375 with five rounds and a 30.06 with three rounds of ammunition.
Tshuma pleaded not guilty to impersonating a police officer claiming that the charges were fabricated as an afterthought. He was remanded out of custody to 23 November.
"I had no reason to impersonate anyone because as a former policeman I knew too well that it is an offence to do so.
All I told the police is that I am a law abiding citizen and I never said I was a serving officer," said Tshuma.
He added: "These charges are an afterthought based on malice which is why I am being brought to court three months after the incident occurred in July. Initially I was charged with poaching and possessing firearms without a certificate and when these could not hold, they then concocted this particular charge."
Constable Jimson Ngarawa who arrested Tshuma said the accused identified himself as a senior cop when he was asked to produce a permit for the rifles.
Prosecuting, Loveness Maseko narrated how Tshuma was stopped at a police roadblock.
"On 23 July, the complainant and workmates were deployed to a roadblock in Gwayi area. They stopped a Mazda which had three occupants and upon searching the vehicle, the complainant recovered three rifles," said the prosecutor.
She said one of the rifles had registration papers while the .375 and 30.06 didn't have any.
"The accused told the police that the guns were his and was asked to produce registration papers which he failed to do but said he had left the certificates at home," the court was told.
Tshuma then identified himself as Det Insp Kamba prompting the complainant and his colleagues to escort him to the police station so they could verify.
Investigations showed that Tshuma was not a police officer as he had retired from the force.
He was then arrested while investigations are ongoing to check if the rifles were not used to commit crime.
The court was told that Smart Sibusiso Tshuma from Village 6 in Inyathi was found in possession of two rifles without a licence when his vehicle was searched by police at a roadblock in Gwayi along the Victoria Falls-Bulawayo road on 23 July when he identified himself as Detective Inspector Kamba (force number 023432Y) stationed at Police General Headquarters in Harare in an attempt to avoid arrest.
The interface rally was held on 21 July.
Hwange magistrate Rose Dube on Monday heard that Tshuma who was in the company of two friends Mbonisi Dube and Sawu Ngwenya, failed to produce a licence authorising him to possess two rifles, a Point 375 with five rounds and a 30.06 with three rounds of ammunition.
Tshuma pleaded not guilty to impersonating a police officer claiming that the charges were fabricated as an afterthought. He was remanded out of custody to 23 November.
"I had no reason to impersonate anyone because as a former policeman I knew too well that it is an offence to do so.
All I told the police is that I am a law abiding citizen and I never said I was a serving officer," said Tshuma.
He added: "These charges are an afterthought based on malice which is why I am being brought to court three months after the incident occurred in July. Initially I was charged with poaching and possessing firearms without a certificate and when these could not hold, they then concocted this particular charge."
Prosecuting, Loveness Maseko narrated how Tshuma was stopped at a police roadblock.
"On 23 July, the complainant and workmates were deployed to a roadblock in Gwayi area. They stopped a Mazda which had three occupants and upon searching the vehicle, the complainant recovered three rifles," said the prosecutor.
She said one of the rifles had registration papers while the .375 and 30.06 didn't have any.
"The accused told the police that the guns were his and was asked to produce registration papers which he failed to do but said he had left the certificates at home," the court was told.
Tshuma then identified himself as Det Insp Kamba prompting the complainant and his colleagues to escort him to the police station so they could verify.
Investigations showed that Tshuma was not a police officer as he had retired from the force.
He was then arrested while investigations are ongoing to check if the rifles were not used to commit crime.
Source - bmetro
