The body of the 28-year-old kombi conductor who was fatally assaulted more than two weeks ago in Whitehouse, Harare, allegedly by four policemen, who are on the run is still at Parirenyatwa Hospital mortuary as the family awaits the burial order.
The post-mortem was conducted after the body had been transferred from
Sally Mugabe Central Hospital where the conductor had died on September
17, following the assault on September
14.
Luke Zuze, who was fatally assaulted by the four wanted
police officers, had allegedly refused to pay them a bribe for carrying
passengers in a kombi not registered under the Zupco franchise, resulting in a
scuffle.
The assault happened at around 5:30pm along Granary Road
and the conductor died three days later in hospital. The kombi driver, George
Pirwa, yesterday spoke on what happened.
“We were coming from Mbare and when we were near
Whitehouse, we pulled off the road to drop off some passengers. That is when
two of the police officers confronted us, telling us that we had been arrested.
“One of the police officers jumped inside the vehicle while
the other one remained standing outside. Zuze walked towards the door on the
driver’s side since he was outside the vehicle and took the car keys and then
ran towards the shops at Whitehouse,” he said
Pirwa said the police officer standing outside the vehicle
gave chase and caught Zuze about 70 metres away from the kombi.
“I remained in the vehicle with the other police officer
and a few minutes later he received a phone call from his colleague who
informed him that he had managed to arrest the conductor. The police officer
then ordered me to disembark from the vehicle so that we go to the scene where
Zuze had been arrested.
“When we arrived at the scene, I discovered that Zuze had
been handcuffed and was lying facing downwards and writhing in pain. The police
officer that had arrested him was assaulting him also before his colleague
joined in the assault. Zuze later shouted that he had broken his left leg when
the police officer tripped him to the ground during the arrest,” he said.
Pirwa checked Zuze’s leg and discovered that it was broken.
A few minutes later, an unregistered white Toyota Mark 11, that the police
officers were using arrived at the scene carrying two other police officers,
one in plain clothes, and one in uniform and who is believed to be a sergeant.
They then ordered Pirwa to get inside the vehicle before
bundling Zuze inside the vehicle and they drove along High Glen Road
before stopping the car just after the
roundabout near High Glen Shopping Centre.
“They then started to threaten us with detention and that
they were going to prepare dockets for us so that we will be sent to court for
prosecution. As we argued in their vehicle I then phoned my colleague called
Ronald so that he would attend to my vehicle which I had left in Whitehouse.
“I ran out of airtime and one of the police officers on the
front seat asked for Ronald’s number so that he would call him. He called
Ronald using his mobile phone and ordered him to attend to my vehicle and would
give him the car keys later on,” Pirwa said.
‘‘After the phone call, they then drove to Sally Mugabe
Hospital where one of the officers made arrangements to ensure that Zuze was
admitted, Pirw said.
The officers then asked for his driver’s licence and took
the kombi keys before they disappeared.
Pirwa remained with Zuze at the hospital and the following
morning he went to a police base in Whitehouse to make a report.
Some officers at the police base are reported to have
phoned one of the police officers who made the arrest asking him on what had
transpired.
They had managed to get his mobile number since he had once
phoned Ronald using his cellphone the previous day.
The police officer is alleged to have told them that they
were handling the case and had opened a docket at Marimba Police Station. He
was asked for the reference number but failed to give it.
Pirwa was then ordered to go to Marimba Police Station and when he went there, he discovered that no such report was made. Efforts to locate these four policemen at Marimba Police Station were fruitless as they are not based at that station.
Officers at the police station then opened an assault
report since Zuze was still in hospital.
Zuze died a few days later and the report changed from
assault to murder before being referred to CID Homicide for further
investigations.
Pirwa said they were informed by hospital officials that for a post mortem to be conducted, there was need for the body to undergo Covid-19 tests. The test was conducted and Zuze tested positive.
The body was then referred to Parirenyatwa Hospital where
post-mortem for such cases are conducted.
The forensic post mortem was conducted on Wednesday this
week September 29, and results are expected within 30 days.
The family is now waiting for burial order. Zuze, who
stayed in Westlea, is survived by his wife and two children, one aged five and
a new-born baby. Herald
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