A KOMBI driver and his alleged accomplice are in trouble for allegedly assaulting a police officer, accusing him of causing an accident, which saw their commuter omnibus crashing into a shop along Third Avenue in Bulawayo recently.
BY SILAS NKALA
The kombi driver, Arthernations Phakati (32), and Constain Dube (26) were not asked to plead to the charge of assaulting or resisting a peace officer when they appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Nyaradzo Ringisai on Tuesday. The magistrate remanded them to August 17 and they are out of custody on $50 bail each.
The court was told that the complainant in the matter is Trymore Muparuri, a police officer stationed at Bulawayo Central Traffic.
It is alleged that on July 15 this year at 10am, the police officer was on duty enforcing traffic laws along Third Avenue when Tichaona Kamuzonde stopped a commuter omnibus, which was driven by Phakati and asked for his driver’s licence and route authority, which the driver did not have.
It is alleged that Muparuri then went into the kombi on Kamuzonde’s instruction and told Phakati to park the vehicle off the road, an order which the driver complied with and handed over the keys to a Sergeant Rwatirera.
Passengers who were in the kombi disembarked and left.
It is the State’s case that the police officer was sitting in the front passenger seat, while Phakati was on the driver’s side and Dube was at the back.
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Phakati allegedly started the kombi and headed towards town threatening the complainant that he would ram into anything and cause harm to the officer.
It is alleged that he drove towards a shop and rammed into it.
The police officer disembarked from the kombi when the two accused persons started shouting at him, accusing him of causing the accident.
Phakati allegedly head-butted him on the right eye and assaulted him with fists and open hands several times all over the body.
Dube allegedly joined in and assaulted the police officer several times before he was rescued by a colleague, who whisked him away.
He then made a report to the police, leading to the two’s arrest.
