BULAWAYO magistrate Gladmore Mushove yesterday ordered police to probe the alleged torture of a woman who was arrested for assaulting a drinking mate during a binge at a city sports bar after the accused told the court that a female cop assaulted her at the time of her arrest and when she arrived at the Bulawayo Central Police Station.
SILAS NKALA STAFF REPORTER
The accused Lungile Mathe (23) of Magwegwe appeared before Mushove charged with assaulting her friend Musawethu Ngwenya while they were binging at Stopover Sports Bar recently. She pleaded guilty to the charge, but said she did not know what she was doing because they were drinking and she was under the influence of alcohol.
When the magistrate asked her if she had any complainants against the police, Mathe said: “A madam woman police (sic) assaulted me at Central Police Station.”
Mushove said the State should ensure investigations were done.
The State represented by Raymond Makaza submitted that it wanted to allow the investigations on the alleged assault of the accused by the policewoman and also interview the witness to establish if she was not deliberately assaulted by Mathe. Makaza asked the case to be postponed to March 17.
“Come back to this court on March 17. You are required to pay bail of $50 so that you come to this court from home,” Mushove said.
In her plea Mathe said: “I was fighting with someone and my friend intervened to restrain us and I stabbed her by mistake. I was not provoked; it’s just that we were drunk.”
