Assaulted TTI marshal demands US$40k, public apology

A Tendy Three Investments (TTI) marshal, Michael Ntini, is demanding US$40,000 in damages from a City Bus employee after a video showing him being assaulted went viral on social media.

Ntini is pursuing legal action against Samuel Scotfield Matanda, who allegedly punched and shoved him during an altercation while on duty in Bulawayo.

According to a letter of demand authored by his lawyer, Tanaka Muganyi of Tanaka Law Chambers, Ntini suffered both physical injuries and reputational harm as a result of the incident.

"Our client indicates that he suffered severe injuries as a result of the assault and he greatly suffered public humiliation as a result of your actions. The humiliation worsened when the video was circulated on social media platforms," Muganyi wrote.

The letter further states that Ntini, described as a family man with a recognised social standing, had his constitutional right to dignity violated by the incident.

"You negatively affected and violated all his known rights. You reduced him in front of his family, you diminished his societal standing and he is now an embarrassed, disgraced man," reads part of the correspondence.

Ntini, through his legal representatives, argues that the alleged assault occurred while Matanda was on duty at Wipeco Investments, trading as City Bus, thereby potentially implicating the employer.

In addition to the US$40,000 compensation, Ntini is demanding a public apology published in The Chronicle and a recorded video apology to be circulated online. He is also seeking a formal statement from the employer distancing itself from the conduct, to be published in the press over a three-month period.

The case has drawn attention to tensions within Zimbabwe's public transport sector, where disputes between marshals and transport operators are common, but rarely escalate into incidents that attract widespread public and legal scrutiny.