The two police officers – Constables Xander Siasayi (33)
and Daniel Peyani (32) of Tuli and Zezani police camps were arrested on Friday
for the offence they allegedly committed while investigating an unlawful entry
and theft case which had occured at Toporo Special Bottle Store in Zezani.
Police spokesperson for Matabeleland South Province
Inspector Loveness Mangena confirmed the incident and said investigations were
underway.
Insp Mangena further said they were still searching for the
missing parts of the victim and trying to find out how and why the body was
burnt.
Circumstances according to the police statement are that on
27 December, 2020, at about 8am, the now deceased’s girlfriend, Beatrice Ndou
(24), who is employed at Toporo Special Bottle Store, made a report at Swereki
Police Base alleging that her boyfriend broke into her workplace and stole cash
amounting to 10 140 rand and $200.
Upon receiving the report, Constables Siasayi and Peyani,
who were manning the police base, did not record it in the report book.
On the same day at about 7pm, the now deceased was picked
up from Toporo Special Bottle Store where he was residing with his girlfriend,
Beatrice.
Siasayi and Peyani then escorted him and a co-accused,
Godknows Mbedzi, back to Swereki Police Base where they spent the night under
police custody. “On the 28th of December 2020 at around 6am while at the police
base, the accused persons assaulted the now deceased with a stick on the thighs
and buttocks several times interrogating him about the alleged stolen money,”
police sources said.
“This they did in the presence of Godknows Mbedzi. On the
same date at around 8am, Godknows Mbedzi was released whilst the accused
persons took the now deceased to Toporo Business Centre in a bid to recover the
stolen money.
On 29 December at about 12noon, Siasayi and Peyani, in the
company of Gwanda District Administrator, who is also the owner of Toporo
Special Bottle Store, Kilibone Ndou, escorted the now deceased from Swereki
police base proceeding to Toporo Business Centre once again.
At about 2pm on the same day, the two police officers were
seen at Swereki shops without the now deceased who never reached home.
On 4 January, 2021, the deceased’s mother, Sibongile Ndou,
told one Inspector Marisa, who is the Officer in Charge at Zezani, that her son
did not return home since he was arrested by the Swereki Base police officers.
On 5 January, 2021, Insp Marisa proceeded to Swereki base and upon interviewing
the investigating officers, he was told that the now deceased escaped from
their custody by running away and their efforts to chase him were in vain.
Insp Marisa discovered that the now deceased was arrested
but no warned and cautioned statement had been recorded from him.
He also discovered that the unlawful entry and theft report
was not recorded in the report book at the base. A search was commissioned on 7
January and the decomposing remains of the deceased were found stashed in a
white sack inside a concrete drainage system.
A skull, which was detached from the body, two legs and two
arms were also found. The clothes and body parts seemed to have been burnt
before being stashed in the sack. Sunday News
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