TWO women from Bulawayo had to seek medical treatment after
allegedly being brutally assaulted for hours with batons on their backs, hips
and legs by police officers who accused them of violating the ongoing national
lockdown.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul
Nyathi yesterday, without giving details, said six people had been arrested
over the incident.
The officers allegedly detained the women overnight at
Cowdray Park police base after refusing to let them pay fines.
The siblings, names withheld, were arrested on April 16 at
a supermarket in the suburb where they had gone to buy food for their children.
Pictures of the battered and bruised women have since gone
viral on social media. Under the lockdown imposed by Government to contain the
spread of the deadly Covid-19, only essential service staff and people seeking
vital services like medication or buying food are allowed outdoors.
The women alleged three cops picked them out from a queue
at the supermarket and cuffed their hands behind their backs.
The officers allegedly force-marched the victims through a
bush to Cowdray Park Police Base, making frequent stops along the way to beat
them with the batons.
The siblings alleged two male police officers would force
them to sit down before assaulting them with batons while hurling insults at
them.
The women alleged three cops picked them out from a queue
at the supermarket and cuffed their hands behind their backs.
The women’s ordeal continued at the police base where the
officers allegedly made them sit behind a parked vehicle and took turns to
assault them with batons. “They told us they would teach us a lesson. They said
they wanted to show us that they had better women than us at their homes. They
said our being yellow boned (light skinned) did not exempt us from the stay at
home order,” said one of the sisters with tears trickling down her cheeks.
“We asked them why they were beating us and they said we
were rude.”
The sisters said the police refused to let their relatives
pay fines for them and kept them at the base overnight. They said their
relatives wanted to take them to hospital because their buttocks and hips were
swollen. “The pain was excruciating yet they refused to let us seek medical
attention. We were eventually fined $200 each the following day in the
afternoon. That is when relatives took us to Mpilo (Central Hospital) for
treatment,” said one of the victims.
Asst Commissioner Nyathi condemned the heavy-handed
approach to law enforcement by the police officers. “We have six suspects who
are appearing in court tomorrow. That is what we can say for now,” said Asst
Comm Nyathi.
Pressed to confirm if all the suspects are police officers
he said: “We will release more information soon but what we can assure the
public is that the case has been investigated and is being well handled.
Nothing has been swept under the carpet. That is why we are taking the case to
court.”
Asst Comm Nyathi said police officers should be
professional while executing their duties.
“They should not get carried away when they perform their
duties. They should stick to the mandate which the police have in terms of the
constitution of the country, in terms of the deployment which would have been
done by their commanders. So, anyone who goes outside the deployment order and
does their own things will face the full the wrath of the law,” said Asst Comm
Nyathi.
The National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC)
yesterday said they assisted the victims to make a formal report.
NPRC investigators led by Commissioner Leslie Ncube who is
in charge of the three Matabeleland provinces said they had to intervene
because any form of violence is not tolerated and is a threat to peace in
society.
Comm Ncube said he was shocked by the level of abuse the
women were subjected to.
“They were brutally attacked by male police officers who
beat them on the thighs and buttocks while insulting them. We are told that the
officers were insulting them using derogatory language which also fuels
ethnical hatred. The victims told us that the officers were telling them that
there is nothing special with their hips as they also have wives with even
bigger hips. So clearly the police officers became too personal instead of
executing their police duties.”
“The police are supposed to be the custodians of law and
are supposed to protect the lives of the vulnerable in our society. We condemn
the behaviour of the said police officers. The victims were allegedly insulted.
Such actions are not expected from the police officers especially in an
independent Zimbabwe,” said Comm Ncube.
He said the commission will assist the victims to get trauma
counselling. Chronicle
0 comments:
Post a Comment