Lovemore Kadzura Rusape Correspondent
A Rusape-based soldier who recently ran amok in the central business district and assaulted police officers, has been arrested and brought to court. Zondai Mutume (30), who is based at 3.2 Infantry Battalion, was represented by Mr Maxwell Chiwanza of Chiwanza and Associates and was not asked to plead when he appeared before Rusape magistrate Mrs Patience Ururu-Madondo.
Mutume is facing two counts of assaulting or resisting a police officer as defined in Section 176 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9.23, which makes it criminal to assault or resist a police officer on duty.
The prosecutor, Mr Gift Mutigwa told the court that Mutume, who was driving a car that was in a wedding procession blocking the smooth flow of traffic, assaulted police officers Bezel Shumba and Ben Kakurira when he was asked to produce his national identity cards.
“On 9 September 2017, Bezel Shumba was on traffic enforcement duties together with Ben Kakurira and Constable Mutehe in Rusape town area when they came across several vehicles that were celebrating a wedding ceremony, blocking corner Chitepo and Tongogara Avenue,” he said.
“The police officers, who were on duty, started clearing the road and when Sergeant Kakurira approached the accused person who was driving a Toyota Corolla registration ADE 8344 he requested him to produce his drivers licence and he resisted, saying that he was a soldier.
“Sergeant Kakurira instructed Shumba to escort the accused to the police station, and when Shumba was inside Mutume’s vehicle, the latter drove off towards some parked motor vehicles, which prompted Shumba to stop the vehicle using the hand brake.
“Mutume pulled an iron bar from the door panel and hit Shumba on the left arm. Shumba sustained no visible injuries and was not medically examined.
“When Mutume assaulted Shumba with the iron bar, Kakurira pulled Mutume out of the vehicle to stop him from further assaulting Shumba. Mutume hit Kakurira with a clenched fist once on the mouth, once on the chest and once on the shoulder. Kakurira sustained a cut on the lower lip and was also not medically examined.”
The magistrate set October 10 as the trial date.