“I was brutally attacked, bashed and left for dead at Mazowe Dam,” said former lieutenant Learnmore Kodzi, who served as an Adjutant (Principal staff officer) in the School of Armour.
“The incident is still vividly clear to me. It was on March 26, 2006 when I was drinking beer at Glen Norah B Shopping Complex (Kwafarai). I saw captain Kembo, a prominent Zanu (PF) hitman who doubles as a military operative, also drinking beer. Kembo was my friend and signalled me to join him and we started drinking. He later revealed to me that they were tracking Nixon Nyikadzino – not knowing he was my cousin. As soon as I got an opportunity I had to warn my cousin that he was in danger and should leave immediately. Unfortunately the place was full of CIOs and they overheard me and that is when the problem started.
“These men told Kembo that I was a liability and had compromised their mission. I just remember them thrashing me and throwing me in their Mazda B1800. I saw Nyikadzino being thrown into the same car, which had about 12 people who all started beating us in broad daylight.
“We were blindfolded and told to sing revolutionary songs. They told me I was a disgrace to the nation because the country had used lots of money on me yet I was selling state secrets and being used by the opposition to recruit soldiers. I challenged them to stop assaulting me and arrest me to which they said the issue was above the Defence Act and I was going to die a terrible death.
“They stopped the car somewhere and told me to say my last prayers. After I had done prayers they took my new Pierre Cardin jacket, a Seiko watch, spectacles and about Zim$6 million from my pockets. They started beating me with sticks, a pistol butt as well as kicking me. I pretended to pass out and they bundled me into a litter bin. I overhead them saying they would push the drum into the dam and let crocodiles feast on me.
“After they dropped me, I managed to hold on to some tall grass and they thought I had fallen into the water. They sped off with Nyikadzino and I just lay there for about two hours. I later realised that we were at Mazowe Dam”.
“I walked back to Harare where I organised a place of safety using my contacts in the military intelligence. I later discovered that there was no record of my case at military intelligence directorate and that Kembo was using military resources to do a Zanu (PF) job since he doubles as a hitman.”
“I stayed at a safe house for 30 days before they helped me to skip the country to South Africa where I have been hiding and working in private company for five years now. It’s sad that I have never returned home as I still fear for my life as I know they will label me a deserter and kill me,” added Kodzi.
Post published in: News