A Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service intelligence officer and several alleged Zanu PF members are set to appear in court today facing charges of kidnapping and assaulting a Gokwe resident over an alleged party-linked affiliation fee dispute.
The accused include Isheunesu Benjamin Marima, Alfred Rudende, Willard Like, Philimon Makumbe, Farai Chakaita, Saul MaChina and Thabani Nsingo. They are being represented by lawyer Solomon Kangembeu.
The trial is expected to commence before Gokwe regional magistrate Stanford Mambanje.
Prosecutors allege that on March 30, 2026, at around 2pm, the accused and four accomplices still at large approached complainant Calisto Muzofa at Gokwe bus terminus and demanded payment of a Zanu PF-linked rank affiliation fee to operate freely as a tout.
The State says Muzofa refused, stating he was not a Zanu PF member.
It is alleged Marima then seized the complainant’s ZTE A36 cellphone and smashed it using the butt of a pistol, damaging the screen.
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The accused are further alleged to have grabbed Muzofa by the belt, forced him into a Toyota GD6 vehicle and drove him to a forest near Gokwe Cotton Company.
While there, prosecutors say the group took turns assaulting him with wooden logs, leaving him with bruises across his body.
Muzofa reportedly made a report to the Zimbabwe Republic Police in Gokwe and was referred to Gokwe South General Hospital for medical examination. The medical report is expected to be produced in court.
Police say they arrested Marima on April 1 at Somabhula Business Centre in Gweru, recovering a white Toyota GD6 twin cab, registration AGE 0792, and a set of handcuffs allegedly used in the commission of the offence.
His co-accused were later arrested in Gokwe Town Centre. Four other suspects — Farai Kanyoka, Godfrey Munyengwa, Bhekithemba Nsingo and Clever Njanji — remain at large.
Investigators say a rifle allegedly used during the incident has not yet been recovered, while wooden logs allegedly used in the assault were recovered at the scene and will be presented as exhibits.