HARARE – A police officer guarding the Harare residence of vice president Kembo Mohadi has been charged with murder after a man suspected of stealing building materials died following a brutal assault.
Blessing Zadzi, 28, was repeatedly struck with an iron bar and a hose pipe while his legs were pinned under what police described as “concrete lifting weights” on Sunday.
He was accused, together Emilington Machinga, of stealing six scaffold poles from a house under construction near Mohadi’s residence on Enterprise Road in Glen Lorne.
Police investigating Zadzi’s death have arrested five people including Sergeant Sanely Muchimba, 32, who was guarding Mohadi’s house and 32-year-old Dennis Tafirei Nyati, a soldier who was guarding another house nearby owned by retired Major General Nicholas Mahuhuba Dube.
Also arrested are three builders – Clever Malunga, 27, Tinashe Gama, 29, and Tanaka Nyabote, 22.
Police said Machinga and Zadzi stole six scaffold poles at 2823 Enterprise Road in Glen Lorne on October 28. A day later, they allegedly returned at around 10PM to steal more scaffold poles intending to sell them in Mbare.
Machinga was apprehended inside the property and he allegedly implicated Zadzi.
The five men now accused of murder allegedly teamed up and apprehended Zadzi at Chigayo Inn at Takura Shops and took him back to the site of the theft.
“Nyati started assaulting Zadzi inside a house under construction using an iron bar whilst his legs were pinned under concrete lifting weights. He continued to assault Zadzi with a hose pipe until he was unconscious,” an internal police memo of the incident, seen by ZimLive, said.
The other men jointly charged with Nyati were “looking on during the assault.”
Realising that Zadzi had lost consciousness, Nyati allegedly ordered Malunga and Trymore Tafirahuchena, who is still at large, to take him to his father who also lives on Enterprise Road in Glen Lorne.
“After seeing that his son was severely assaulted, James Zadzi refused to accept him,” police said.
Malunga and Tafirahuchena carried him out of the house and dumped him close to a Johanne Masowe shrine nearby.
Highlands police responded after the father filed a report and Malunga led them to his body which was covered with a duvet. – ZimLive
