Seven senior police detectives from the Zimbabwe Republic Police homicide unit in Bulawayo have been arrested.
The Chronicle reports that they have been charged with theft, criminal abuse of office and obstruction of justice. Their arrest follows allegations of an illegal operation they were reportedly contracted to do using State resources.
The seven comprise Wellington Masuna, Kuziwa Dennis Zambuko, Fakazi Swati, and Clemence Mbofana, who led an unsanctioned operation to recover gold ore and money, while Patson Muchingami, Weddington Mugabe and Fairchild Katazo were charged with obstruction of justice.
The seven appeared in court last Saturday and were remanded in custody, pending bail hearing.
The State, according to documents seen by Chronicle, denied them bail on their initial appearance after it was revealed they have previous convictions, pending cases in the courts and that there is a high risk of them interfering with witnesses.
“The accused might violate or jeopardise the investigations and proper functioning of the criminal justice system, as evidenced by an incident, which happened at Bulawayo Central Police Station before detention in police cells,” read the court documents. “The accused persons in agreement with their police colleagues disregarded police authority and removed their handcuffs without prior authority from the investigators.
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“The accused persons further refused to cooperate with investigators despite the effort to restrict them again by means of handcuffs. A case of obstruction or defeating the course of justice was opened against the accused’s colleagues under Bulawayo Central Police CR 402/10/24,” read the court documents.
It is alleged that on October 7, this year Masuna, Zambuka, Swati and Mbofana received a call from one Lista Chipuriro, an artisanal miner based at Nugget Mine, Matopos, seeking their services to recover gold ore and nuggets allegedly stolen by one Petros Daki, who is the complainant in the matter.
“The accused persons led by accused two accepted the request knowing that Nugget Mine lies under the jurisdiction of ZRP Matopos and CID Minerals Fauna and Flora Unit in Plumtree and with the knowledge that Lista Chipuriro had engaged them to carry out unsanctioned investigations,” read the court documents.
“Thereafter, the accused persons using a police vehicle intercepted the complainant who was in Shepherd Nyoni’s vehicle, a Toyota Bubble at Cecil Hotel, Corner 3rd Avenue and Fife Street in Bulawayo.
“Accused number one, two and three again using the same police vehicle took the complainant, Shepherd Nyoni and Costa Mathe to a house in Pumula South, where they unlawfully recovered cash amounting to US$23 700 from complainant’s mother Thenjiwe Dube.”
It was further alleged the quartet then drove back to CID Homicide offices, where Zambuko gave US$7 800 to Daki, as money they had recovered.
“The accused persons well knowingly that they were not conducting official investigations unlawfully and intentionally confiscated the US$15 900 from the complainant and converted it to their own use, thus acting contrary to or inconsistent with their duties as public officers with the intention of conferring an undue benefit to themselves and prejudice to the State,” read the documents.
It was stated again in court records that at around 5pm the four also impounded a vehicle belonging to Daki, which he had purchased from selling some of the alleged stolen gold ore and nuggets to a gold dealer in Luveve.
“The four again using the same police vehicle took Petros Daki and Costa Mathe to Cowdray Park, where they unlawfully recovered cash amounting to US$2 000 from complainant’s wife, Prosper Moyo.
“Soon after taking the complainant’s money, accused two handed back US$500 alleging that the remainder was not his. Upon arrival at CID Homicide offices at Bulawayo Central Police, the accused person released the complainant’s vehicle into his custody,” the court heard.
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