Four Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) officers were on Thursday arraigned before Harare provincial magistrate Isheunesu Matova in connection with the brutal assault and subsequent death of a 29-year-old man.
The accused
persons Nqobile Dube (23), Gladman Faith Makoni (29), Godfrey Damu (24) and
Atkins Munashe Zvavambire (20) allegedly assaulted Jeffreys Kandemiiri
following an incident at the New Government Complex in Harare earlier this
month.
They were
remanded in custody on a murder charge and advised to apply for bail at the
High Court.
According to
State prosecutor Nomsa Kangara, the deceased visited the complex on March 6,
intending to meet his uncle, who works at the same complex.
However, he was
reportedly chased away by ZPCS officers who providing security at the premises.
While
descending the stairs, he encountered the four accused individuals, leading to
a confrontation that turned violent. The court heard that they assaulted
Kandemiiri on the second floor before dragging him to the basement, where the
attack intensified.
Witnesses
reported that Dube repeatedly kicked the victim in the stomach with booted
feet, while Makoni and Damu punched him.
The State
further alleged that Dube stepped on the victim’s stomach with force while he
lay on the ground, while Damu struck him on the legs with a broomstick.
Zvavambire
reportedly slapped the deceased twice and poured multiple buckets of water all
over his body.
The attack only
ceased when other security personnel intervened.
Kandemiiri was
reportedly forced to leave the premises, but, however, collapsed at the nearby
Simon Muzenda Bus Terminus, where he was assisted by Good Samaritans who took
him home to Mabvuku.
He allegedly
spent the night in excruciating pain before he was taken to a local clinic the
following day.
He was later
referred to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, where he was admitted for a week.
Tragically, he
succumbed to his injuries on March 14, with doctors citing severe abdominal
trauma as the cause of death.
Kangara told
the court that police investigations led to the arrest of the four prison
officers.
She added that
a forensic post-mortem examination confirmed that Kandemiiri’s death resulted
from blunt force trauma sustained during the assault. Newsday
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