THREE COPS ABUSE HOOKERS AT CHARGE OFFICE

Three police officers who turned a charge office into a chamber of horror have been convicted after assaulting, humiliating, and sexually harassing four sex workers in a sickening abuse of power.

Evans Chikwanha (39), Denfart Ncube (32), and Khumbulani Bangu (43) were this week dragged before Magistrate Challenge Mahembe and found guilty on four counts of assault.

Wreathed in clouds of ganja smoke, the rogue cops, accused of forcing the women to drink water until they vomited, laying heavily into their buttocks with batons, and even kissing them denied everything during trial.

However, overwhelming evidence against them was their undoing.

They were each slapped with a US$400 fine, payable by 31 July. If they fail to pay, they face six months in jail. An additional eight months were suspended, on condition they stay out of trouble for the next five years.

The disturbing incident happened on 27 September 2024 at a police base in Shangani Business Centre, where the four women had gone to deliver food to a detained relative.

But instead of being allowed to leave, they were allegedly targeted by the three officers in a humiliating display of abuse and power-tripping.

In court, the victims described how they were ordered to lie face down on the cold ground, before the officers began thrashing them on the buttocks with batons. One woman broke down as she described the pain that still haunts her.

“I’m a sex worker and I make my living through my body. Since that day, I feel pain on my bums during sex. I’m now failing to do my work properly. I have two children and I can’t even raise money for their upkeep,” she told the court.

The torture didn’t stop at beatings. The cops allegedly forced the women to gulp down 10 cups of water each, pushing their bodies to the edge. Some vomited. Others begged for mercy.

Then came the sleaze.

The women told the court that while they were still helpless, some of the officers kissed them, made sexual advances and begged for sex. One victim recalled how an officer unbuttoned his shirt and tried to kiss her as she wept.

“He kept saying I looked too fresh to be shouting at police officers. I was crying. He didn’t care,” she said.

Throughout the trial, the trio, represented by their lawyer, maintained their innocence and claimed the women were drunk and disorderly, allegedly yelling and inciting a crowd outside the charge office.

But the court didn’t buy their story.

Inspector Nomalanga Msebele declined to comment on internal disciplinary action against the officers, but the case has triggered a wave of outrage, especially among women’s rights groups.

“What happened is disgusting and unacceptable,” said a women’s activist outside court. “Police officers are supposed to protect people, not prey on them.” The women, who cannot be named for ethical reasons, say they are still struggling with physical and emotional scars.

As for the convicted cops, their badges may not save them next time. The law has spoken. And this time, it bit back. B Metro

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