BULAWAYO - Rights lawyers have blasted police’s heavy-handedness following the alleged torture of two security guards last weekend for moving without national identity cards in Bulawayo.
Fungai Moyo and Gugulezwe Nxongo, guards at World Apostolic Church located behind the Entumbane Complex in the city, were severely beaten up by eight police officers using batons on allegations of not carrying identity cards on Sunday night.
The junior officers also forced the two men to roll on a tarred road while singing the national anthem along the Luveve Road close to the Entumbane Complex.
“This unbecoming behaviour from the police cannot be tolerated and cannot be allowed to continue,” Lizwe Jamela, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) Matabeleland region representative told Daily News yesterday.
“We cannot have police officers that are criminal yet they should protect the civilians.
“We are making follow ups on the criminal aspect of this matter and at the same time we will be instituting a civil suit against the commissioner of the police and the Home Affairs minister.”
Moyo and Nxongo’s case was reported at Njube Police Station and the investigating officer is one Constable Kasimbalo.
“They made us sit on the tarred road and started beating us with batons,” Nxongo told journalists.
“At the same time, they were kicking us all over the body and made us roll on the ground. They were laughing while beating us and they made us sing the national anthem.
“We committed no crime and when we asked why they were beating us, the beatings actually increased as they said we were disrespectful.
“They also accused us of being thieves. They must have got tired as they later told us to run for our lives and go home.”
Three weeks ago, there was public outrage against the police in Bulawayo after one of them manning a roadblock threw spikes in front of a commuter omnibus, causing it to overturn and injure passengers along Khami Road.