HARARE – Two Chikurubi prison wardens are in soup for beating up and further ordering a group of inmates they were guarding to bash two Harare men they accused of trespassing.
For the abuse, Alex Tendai Gombeza and Evidence Kutsawa have slapped the prison guards with a total US$10 650 lawsuit after sustaining injuries from their ordeal.
The two prison guards are Michael Moses Nduna and Florence Chihambakwe, who are cited in court summons as 3rd and 4th respondents.
First and second respondents are the Justice Minister and Commissioner General of Prisons and Correctional Service.
Read the summons in part, “The Plaintiff’s claim (Gombeza) for damages arising as a result of his unlawful assault at the hands of the 3rd and 4th defendants sometime in January 2022.
“Sometime in January 2022, plaintiff and his friend Evidence Kutsawa and at around 7.40 hours were passing through Chikurubi farm and they encountered 3rd and 4th defendants who advised them they were passing through a prohibited area.
“3rd and fourth defendant instructed plaintiff and his colleague to lie down on the ground before they started assaulting them on their feet using wooden pick handles.
“After the assaults, 3rd and 4th Defendants subsequently instructed the inmates they were supervising to assault the Plaintiff and his colleague.
“Plaintiff sustained severe injuries and had to seek medical attention. The Plaintiff suffered approximately three percent residual disability as a result of the assault.”
Gombeza and Kutsawa have filed summons to demand compensation for the abuse.
With help from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Gombeza is demanding US5 250 while Kutsawa is seeking US$5 400.
Both were hospitalised as a result of the assaults.
