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Temba Dube Senior Reporter
A Bulawayo policeman is lucky to be alive after he was pummelled and pushed out of a speeding commuter omnibus. The policeman, identified as Constable Silent Zisheche (28) was part of a police team that was arresting kombi drivers for using an illegal pick-up point on Monday afternoon.
Police have since arrested one of the people suspected to have beaten Cst Zisheche.The police have since launched a manhunt for the driver and his tout.
Witnesses said Cst Zisheche, who was in uniform, got into a kombi that had the driver, a tout and the arrested suspect at about 3pm and instructed the driver to drive to Drill Hall Police Station as he was under arrest.
“Instead the driver sped off. The two people in the kombi started assaulting the policeman and they pushed him out of the vehicle which was then doing 360 degree turns on the road.
“People had to run in different directions to avoid being knocked down by the kombi as the driver made sharp turns in a bid to shake off the police officer who was clinging onto the door,” said a tout who operates along 6th Avenue Extension.
One of the drivers who regularly uses the undesignated pick-up point said the kombi left 6th Avenue and sped into Lobengula Street with the policeman hanging on for dear life.
“One of the people in the kombi kicked the policeman’s hands and he was forced to let go one hand. They kicked the other hand and the door he was clutching onto began to fall off. He was dragged for several metres before he finally let go. “He fell onto the road and rolled several times. He ended up in a bloody heap as the driver sped away,” said the driver.
The witnesses said an ambulance was called and it rushed Cst Zisheche to hospital. A police source who declined to be named said Cst Zisheche was taken to Mpilo Central Hospital where he was admitted for a day.
Contacted for comment, police spokesperson for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo confirmed the incident. “We have arrested one of the suspects and he is assisting police with investigations. We appeal to members of the public who may have information that may lead to the arrest of the driver and the tout to contact their nearest police station.
They can use our police suggestion boxes or call the Bulawayo Police 24-hour hotline number (09) 885479,” said Insp Moyo.
He warned kombi drivers against the continued use of unregistered pick-up points saying police will intensify their operation.
Meanwhile, police have intensified patrols along 6th Avenue Extension, arresting those found using the pick-up point.
They are ordering people to use the official Basch Street Terminus, popularly known as Egodini.
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