KWEKWE — A police officer who was arrested and detained for loitering and trespassing into the alluvial gold rich Sherwood Block claim in January has pressed charges of assault and malicious damage to property against a private security officer who captured him.
Sergeant Heaven Musekiwa was arrested by the security officer Benedict Ndokera at the height of the gold rush at the gold claim on January 7 after allegedly straying into Sherwood Block. Ndokera had been hired by Clifford Sibanda who claimed ownership of the gold claim.
After his arrest, Musekiwa was handed over to police officers who were also on guard at the mining claim which at that time was under Sibanda. He was detained, but was not brought to court.
Musekiwa alleges he was assaulted by Ndokera in front of other uniformed police officers before his cellphone, a Nokia E79, was smashed into his face.
“He pulled me and slapped me in the face before taking my phone and hitting me in my face with it and it smashed into pieces . . . police officers who were on guard were watching while Ndokera assaulted me because they had been bought by a plate of sadza by the accused,” reads a statement by Musekiwa.
Ndokera appeared before Magistrate Letwin Rwodzi on March 8 facing charges of assaulting the police officer and malicious damage to property and was remanded out of custody on $50 bail.
The trial is expected to start on March 24 when Musekiwa is due to take the witness stand to expose his fellow police officers whom he claims were paid by Sibanda at the time.
