Zimpapers Logo

Heather Charema in Kadoma

The 14-year-old boy who is being implicated in the recent murder of a policeman by a machete gang at Good Hope Mine in Battlefields was refused bail on Monday after failing to produce a birth certificate.

The minor through his lawyer, Mr Emmanuel Sanundombe, pleaded with the court to be released into the custody of his parents due to his age.

However, his birth certificate could not be produced when he appeared before Kadoma magistrate Mr Shayne Kubonera who remanded the eight accused persons in custody to January 17.

The minor will be remanded at Kadoma Training Institute.

Speaking to The Herald after the court hearing on Monday, Mr Sanundombe said the minor’s birth certificate could not be produced before the court but he was a juvenile offender.

“He is a juvenile offender and if one is a juvenile, he or she is supposed to appear before the court in the company of a parent or a guardian. The parent then becomes the one responsible for making sure that he comes to court at the appropriate time,” he said.

“His birth certificate was not produced in court because at the time of his arrest, the people who were with him did not know that it would be needed.”

The other seven suspects are Leighton Panashe Tahoma, Obvious Mawire, Tonderai Musasa (18), Richwell Tshuma (26), Bornlight Mukute (20), Taurai Munetsi and Tinashe Paul Demo (27).

Munetsi and Demo are admitted at Kadoma General Hospital after being shot by police in Gweru and were on the police wanted list.

Herbert Ngeziman represented the State.