Zanu supporters assault senior cop

Junior police officers in this small Midlands town told The Zimbabwean that Superintendent Richman Madiro, already in the radar of Zanu (PF) terror gangs after continuously repelling their attacks on the MDC in the district, was severely beaten by two men and left for dead at his Redcliff home on July 25.

Madiro is the acting officer commanding of Kwekwe district, after taking over from Chief Superintendent Phineas Muhedzikwa, who was suspended last year for allegedly raping a junior female officer who was based at Redcliff.

Since taking over the district, he has been very professional and has not allowed any political violence, telling us to arrest all those who threaten political violence on other people, regardless of which party they belong to. Most of the Zanu (PF) supporters here have been arrested in the process, said a junior officer based in Kwekwe.

However, this has not been taken lightly by Zanu (PF) officials and activists in the district, who have accused Madiro of being an MDC activist. They have been heard on several occasions threatening to deal with him.

The two men are said to have visited his home claiming that they wanted US$50 from someone who purportedly lived in the same house. When Madiro told them he did not know such a person, they attacked him with a hammer.

They beat him on the head and all over the body and left him for dead. He received 10 stitches on the forehead after the assault and what worries us is that these two men, both Zanu (PF) supporters, are still roaming the streets despite a report having been made on the day of the assault.

National police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena could not be reached for comment at the time of going to print, as his phone rang without answer, but the junior officers said that the incident was entered as Crime Register number 69/07/2010 at Redcliff police station and reported on July 25.