HARARE – Nineteen Zimbabwe Republic Police recruits who went on the rampage last Friday indiscriminately assaulting civilians in the Harare CBD have each been granted US$100 bail.
Tadiwa Machopa and his 18 colleagues were Thursday freed by Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi who ruled that they cannot be punished with further detention since they were merely suspects who were not caught red-handed.
“No identification parade was held. The IO is not even privy to the circumstances of the arrest of the accused…there is no information on how many people were injured or the extent of damage to property,” said the magistrate.
Prosecutors had opposed bail stating that 17 of the cadet police officers’ accomplices were yet to be arrested.
Davison Mungezi, the Investigating Officer in the matter, opposed bail arguing that there were enough grounds to induce the group to abscond; among them, looming custodial sentences if convicted.
“If released on bail, they will abscond because of the sentence that will be given,” he had argued during bail hearing.
“There are witnesses to this matter. It is common cause that they went into the CBD and randomly assaulted members of the public.”
According to the state outline, the 19 are police recruits stationed at ZRP Mkushi Academy.
“They were armed with sticks and other unknown objects and engaged in acts of public violence.”
It is alleged they assaulted members of the public in revenge to an assault on two of their co-accused colleagues, namely Tanaka Keith Kaseke and Anymore Ndlovu by an unknown person earlier in the day at Copacabana bus terminus.
Some of their assault victims are said to have sustained injuries.
