RENOWNED lawyer, Jonathan Samkange is in the eye of a storm for allegedly hiring a hitman to silence a Kadoma residents’ association leader, who wants him sanctioned by the Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) for alleged unprofessional conduct.
Sabonabona Progressive Residents Association interim chairman, Ezekiel Chinoingira says Samkange enlisted the services of a Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officer, Constable Kudakwashe Chingodza, to assault him in order to deter him from pursuing a complaint to the LSZ against the top lawyer.
Samkange is said to have recently filed Supreme Court papers purportedly representing some disgruntled Sabonabona residents when in actual fact he didn’t have their consent nor instructions.
After threatening to report the renowned lawyer to LSZ last week, Chinoingira was Monday night beaten up by an unidentified man whom he suspects was sent by Samkange.
In a letter to ZRP Commissioner-General, Godwin Matanga dated September 28, 2021, Chinoingira wrote, “l write to formally lodge a complaint against a police officer identified as Constable Kudakwashe Chingodza from Harare.
“In my capacity as the interim chairman on 20th of September 2021, wrote a letter to Messrs Venturas and Samkange advising them that some of our members who were cited in a pending Supreme Court case, were surprised that Mr (Jonathan) Samkange had responded on their behalf when the residents had not given him instructions to respond on their behalf.”
The residents’ leader alleges the warning letter sparked the tension between him and the lawyer-cum-Zanu PF politician.
Another lawyer, James Magodora of Kwekwe was also recently convicted by LSZ of unprofessional conduct over the same offence involving the same Sabonabona dwellers, who are facing eviction from their properties.
On September 24, some Sabonabona residents were cajoled to convene a meeting with Samukange were tried to wriggle his way out of the mess that could result in an embarrassing LSZ sanction.
Chinoingira alleges on September 27, he was informed that Constable Chingodza, allegedly on Samkange’s orders, had visited his Harare address hunting him down.
He further alleges on the same day; he was trailed from Sabonabona to Kadoma town by unidentified people driving a Toyota D4D until the night he was beaten and sustained facial injuries.
Chinoingira further wrote: “As l stopped, an unidentified man came from the D4D and walked towards my vehicle while asking if l was Ezekiel Chinoingira. When l said ‘yes’, the man who was now at my vehicle’s driver’s window started punching me using fists on my face while saying ‘dzikama’ (take it easy).”
Chinoingira says he managed to escape from further assault before reporting the incident at Kadoma Central police who referred him to hospital for treatment.
A medical report indicates he suffered a tooth injury.
The residents’ leader is now living in constant fear and is appealing to the police commissioner-general to intervene in the case of alleged abuse of duty by the ‘rogue’ cop.
“I am currently in pain and in fear for my life. But from the chronicles of events, l now suspect that your Constable Kudakwashe Chingodza is, or is linked to, the person who assaulted me.
“It cannot be coincidence that on the day which he was hunting for me, l was followed and attacked. He is my prime suspect on the assault,” Chinoingira said.
“I conclude he was engaged to victimise residents so that they become afraid of filing complaints to the LSZ. I find this is a case where a police officer was lured to abuse his office thereby tarnishing the image of the police force.”
