POLICE officers allegedly severely tortured two Bulawayo men with truncheons and forced them to roll on the tar while singing the national anthem along the Luveve Road close to the Entumbane Complex on Sunday night.
STAFF REPORTER
Fungai Moyo (32) and Gugulezwe Nxongo (31) are nursing injuries they allegedly sustained in one-hour beatings for what they said was for no apparent reason.
Nxongo and Moyo, who are security guards at the World Apostolic Church located behind the Entumbane Complex, said the assault occurred around 9pm.
Moyo said he had knocked off and was being accompanied by Nxongo to board a commuter omnibus home when they came across the allegedly inebriated cops on night patrol.
“It was hell,” Moyo, who could not walk yesterday, told Southern Eye before going for an X-ray to ascertain the extent of internal injuries he suffered from the alleged beatings.
The incident was reported at Njube Police Station and the investigating officer is one Constable Kasimbalo, according to a Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) report the two obtained from the station to enable them to access medical treatment.
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“The patient was assaulted by baton sticks all over the body and further kicked with booted feet all over the body. The patient was made to roll over the tarred road and the patient suffered a swollen back and thigh injuries,” Constable Kasimbalo wrote in Nxongo’s report.
Narrating the incident, Nxongo said trouble started when they met the cops numbering eight who demanded their identity particulars (IDs).
“We had our IDs and showed them, but they made us sit on the tarred road. We told them where we were going and I, in fact, told them that I am taking my friend to the terminus and would be going back to report for night duty at the church,” Nxongo said.
“They started slapping us and beating us with baton sticks. At the same time, they were kicking us all over the body and made us roll on the ground. They were laughing while beating us and they made us sing the national anthem,” Nxongo said.
Moyo chipped in: “We committed no crime and when we asked why they were beating us, the beatings actually increased as they said we were disrespectful. They also accused us of being thieves. They must have got tired as they later told us to run to our destinations.”
Acting Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Abednico Ncube yesterday said the issue would be investigated, but added that police do no wantonly beat up residents for no apparent reason at night.
“Police do not just beat up people at night and as for the ID, it is advantageous for one to always carry it in case of an accident, being mugged and so forth,” He said.
Moyo and Nxongo said they would seek justice through the courts as they were assaulted for no reason.
Bulawayo police were in the eye of a storm recently when one of them manning a roadblock threw spikes in front of a commuter omnibus resulting in it overturning and injuring passengers.
