Four members of the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS), who appeared in court charged with murder, have been granted bail.
The quartet are standing accused of assaulting a visitor to a government building in Harare that resulted in his death.
Nqobile Dube (23), Faith Gladman Makoni (29), Godfrey Damu (24) and Munashe Atkins Zvavambire (20) appeared before Harare magistrate Isheanesu Matova last Tuesday.
They were remanded in custody awaiting their bail ruling.
However, they were granted bail and ordered to surrender their passports.
Allegations are that on March 6, between 5 pm and 6pm, at the Mgandane Dlodlo Building, formerly New Government Complex, located at Central Avenue and Simon Vengayi Muzenda Street in Harare.
The victim, Jeffreys Kandemiiri, had come to meet his uncle, Malvern Kandemiiri who works on the fifth floor.
Upon arrival, Jeffreys was confronted by ZPCS security personnel.
After being chased away, he encountered the accused on the second floor, leading to a violent confrontation.
The court heard that the accused began assaulting Jeffreys, with Dube kicking him repeatedly in the stomach while Makoni and Damu struck him with their fists.
The violence escalated as they took him to the basement, where the assault continued.
In the basement, Dube allegedly continued to kick Jeffreys and stood on him while he was on the ground.
Another version from an insider
There’s been a lot of misinformation circulating on social media, aiming to tarnish the image of the ZPCS organisation.
To set the record straight, the incident occurred on March 4, between 17:00 and 18:00hrs, at the Government Complex in Harare.
The victim, a frequent visitor to the complex, would often meet his uncle, who works on the fifth floor. However, what’s been left out of the reports is that the victim was a drug addict.
His uncle had complained to the private security personnel at the basement, instructing them not to allow the victim to enter the premises due to his troublesome behavior and drug use.
Upon arrival, the victim was confronted by private security personnel who tried to bar him from entering the complex.
Dealing with someone under the influence can be irritating, especially for half-trained private security guards.
They failed to stop the victim from entering the complex, prompting them to seek help from ZPCS officers.
The ZPCS officers managed to chase the victim away amicably without any confrontations. However, the victim returned, still intoxicated, and was confronted again by ZPCS officers on the third floor.
He refused to produce his national identification card and became aggressive, leading to a violent confrontation with the officers.
The officers took him to the basement, where the initial encounter occurred, and poured water over him as a punishment to deter him from returning.
Imagine facing such a traumatic experience while protecting government premises, only to be accused of murder later.
It’s possible that the victim, still intoxicated, might have been attacked again by goons on the streets.
No one knows for sure.
The experience has been traumatic, especially when you did things in good faith and were later accused of murder.
It’s a sad situation indeed.
It has also been reported that the uncle’s victim thanked ZPCS officers who are now victims of murder allegations for barring his nephew from entering the government complex.
The untold truth is that the guy was an unwanted guest, and it’s unfortunate he died, he might have retold the story to serve innocent people in the corridors of Prisons!
, who appeared in court charged with murder, have been granted bail.){kind=link}