Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga
Philemon Jijita, who runs a tuckshop at Masasa Farm in Mazowe sued
Matanga and Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe
Kazembe in December 2019 for payment of damages to his property after
some ZRP members burnt down his immobile Nissan Hi-Rider vehicle in
May 2019, which was parked at the farm as it had some flat tyres.
Jijita’s vehicle caught fire when ZRP members burnt some housing
structures, cabins and some grass structures that were close to his
car.
His pleas to restrain the police officers fell on deaf ears as the law
enforcement agents ordered him to move away.
With the assistance of Tinashe Chinopfukutwa of Zimbabwe Lawyers for
Human Rights, Jijita sued Matanga and Kazembe demanding compensation
for the damage caused to his vehicle.
During trial before Magistrate Dhliwayo, Chinopfukutwa argued that
Jijita suffered severe shock and trauma at witnessing his vehicle
being wantonly burnt down by ZRP officers without reasonable
justification.
This resulted in Magistrate Dhliwayo ordering Matanga and Kazembe to
pay RTGS$56 640 as compensation for special damages to Jijita’s
property.
Through instituting such anti-impunity claims against state actors who
include police officers, who often violate human rights of other
people under the guise of acting within the realm of the law, ZLHR
does so to deter and discourage such violations.