Hundreds of illegal money changers protest over death of colleague




Madakwa Admire Mapako
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HUNDREDS of illegal money changers marched to Bulawayo Central Police Station yesterday in protest of what they called laxity in police investigations over the death of their colleague who was ambushed and killed by unknown assailants last Thursday night.

The demonstrators, popularly known as osiphatheleni marched along 8th Avenue from Tredgold Building to Bulawayo Central Police Station waving the late Madakwa Admire Mapako’s picture.

Mapako (48), an illegal money changer was killed outside Continental Lodge in Khumalo Suburb, Bulawayo on Thursday.

The demonstrators demanded that the assailants be brought to book while saying police were not doing enough to account for them as the suspects were known.

“Police know the assailants. In fact, the suspect stalked Admire for more than two weeks and they know it because it was reported. They did not arrest the criminals even after he was killed,” said an Illegal money changer who declined to be named.

Mapako’s younger brother and family spokesperson, Pardon, told The Chronicle that police knew his brother’s assailants as a police officer positively identified him on CCTV footage.

He said the footage that was recorded at night on February 21, this year and it shows two masked men armed with a gun trying to lure Mapako out of his house.

“Police know everything. In fact, they positively identified one of the suspects as Dingani when we showed them the CCTV footage. It is painful that this gang is known but they have not been arrested. It’s a gang of 12 guys and on Saturday one of them was seen here in the city,” he said.

Pardon said police removed his brother’s body of from the scene in the absence of relatives, which further infuriated them.

‘What also worries us is that none of the relatives was at the scene when police removed the body. So, we are not sure whether what the police are saying is true because even the alleged woman whom we hear was with my brother is not known. We were only made to identify the body at United Bulawayo Hospital Mortuary’ he said.

Bulawayo Police spokesperson, Inspector Abednico Ncube could not give a comment as he was not in the office.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people who included Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe (AFM) President, Dr Aspher Madzinyire, musician Sandra Ndebele attended a funeral service for Mapako held at Nyaradzo Funeral Parlour in Doninngton, Bulawayo, yesterday.

He will be buried today at Zimuto Village in Masvingo.