BULAWAYO High Court judge Justice Andrew Mutema last week released three Ingutsheni Psychiatric Hospital workers on bail pending appeal after they were jailed for two years for brutally assaulting a mentally ill man, knocking out three teeth after he refused to have lunch.
RICHARD MUPONDE SENIOR COURT REPORTER
George Samambwa (42), Vusumuzi Nzima (36), and Chamunorwa Mugwagwa (39) were jailed three weeks ago by Bulawayo magistrate Tawanda Muchemwa for the savage attack on Samson Ndlovu (25).
They made a bail application pending appeal at the Bulawayo High Court through their lawyer Godfrey Nyoni and Justice Mutema released them on $100 bail each.
In addition to bail, they were ordered to reside at their given addresses.
Charges against the three were that Ndlovu, who was admitted under the Mental Health Act, was visited by his mother Rebecca Muzorori shortly before lunch on November 27 2013 and they shared some food which she brought.
When it was the hospital’s lunch hour, Ndlovu was served isitshwala/sadza, but he declined telling hospital staff he was sated.
Ndlovu’s refusal to eat infuriated Mugwagwa who then threatened to “iron him out” for being disrespectful.
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“Ironing out” is a term they use for beating up their victims.
Samambwa, Nzima and Mugwagwa, the court heard, then ganged up and choked Ndlovu until he dropped to his knees.
Samambwa slapped him several times on the face and left him sprawling on the floor.
They took turns to kick him with booted feet several times on the stomach and face.
Nzima and Mugwagwa allegedly dragged him to the treatment room where Samambwa forced him to spit his teeth into the toilet and then flushed them down the drain.
The three called a nurse and instructed him to inject their victim with a sleeping drug in a bid to cloud his memory.
Ndlovu then fell unconscious for three hours.
Ndlovu’s mother, who visited him two days later, raised the alarm after discovering that his teeth were missing.
She told hospital management how Mugwagwa had ordered her to leave the hospital while at the same time threatening to “iron out” her son.
A police report was made, leading to the arrest of the three.
