Family seeks justice

Bongani Ndlovu, Chronicle Reporter

MR Charles Siziba remembers nothing from the night his brother, a prison officer at Khami Maximum Prison in Bulawayo Nhlanhla Siziba (40) died.

As peas in a pod, the two had gone out to drink at a local bar called Kombo in the Insiza area about 60km along the Bulawayo-Harare highway, last Wednesday, when tragedy struck.

It is said a fight ensued and all Mr Siziba remembers was drinking and the next thing being hit on the back of his head with an unidentified object. Mr Siziba cannot recollect whether he walked or was carried to his homestead in Village 5, two kilometres away.

The incident is the talk of the area, with speculation rife that Nhlanhla was beaten up by a group of men, then he ran trying to save himself and was knocked down by a car on the highway.

However, there are some who are saying the group beat him up, saw that he was dead, threw him on the highway, and he was run over by a car.

For Mr Siziba, who was preparing to travel to the Gadade area for the burial of Nhlanhla, all that happened up until his brother’s untimely death is still a mystery to him.

What he remembers is his wife waking him up, after she received a phone call from a relative Ms Sithembile Ndlovu.

“We were drinking at the bar and I was hit by something just on my head behind my right ear.

I passed out.

I was told that these people were about 14.

I was woken up by Sithembile who had come to tell us that Makho (Nhlanhla) was lying lifeless on the roadside.

What happened from the time I was knocked out until I got home, I don’t even know what happened.

I don’t know how I got home and even what the fight was all about.

I don’t even know how it started.

Even the people who were beating him up, I don’t even know who they are,” said Mr Siziba.

It was around 2AM when Ms Ndlovu arrived at the Siziba homestead and Mr Siziba said that was when he was told his brother was lying unconscious on the road.

“I was woken up by my wife that Sithembile had come to tell us about Makho.

I then remembered that I was with him before I was hit at the back of the head.

I quickly got dressed and then we went to the scene and indeed it was him lying on the road.

He had various injuries all over his body, especially his head,” said Mr Siziba.

A prison officer, Nhlanhla has two children and was left with five years for him to retire.

“He was always a jovial person who loved playing with children. He was always with his brother, whenever I saw them.

The body was taken to the morgue by a neighbour whom we had asked because the police had said they don’t have transport,” said Mr Siziba.

Ms Ndlovu said she was shocked to see Nhlanhla lying unconscious on the roadside when she returned from Bulawayo at around 2AM.

“I was returning home from Bulawayo, at around 2AM. I had hitched a ride. When we were approaching the stop, we noticed people who were by the roadside and it looked like there was someone who had been knocked down by a car.

It was a silver-grey car that looked like a Toyota Wish.

“I asked them to stop, because it was near my area, and I wanted to see this person, perhaps it’s someone we know from around.

When I got to the scene there were two men on the other side of the road and their phone torches were on,” said Ms Ndlovu.

She added: “They then told me that there was a person who was hit by a car and I then asked them for a phone so that I could see the person lying on the side of the road.

Then I saw that it was MaBhudiza (Nhlanhla’s nickname) okaMakho (Charles’ other nickname). I tried to wake him up asking what had happened, I wasn’t sure if he was alive or dead.”

Ms Ndlovu said she moved the body to avoid it being crushed by vehicles on the highway, before going to inform his family.

She said what was strange was that Nhlanhla had no trousers which were found metres away from him, raising suspicions that he was being chased and was beaten up.

“He was wearing shorts. He had no phone.

His trousers were found about 100 metres from where his phone was.

He was badly hurt and his head had a lot of cuts.

Those who did what they did to him will tell the truth.

The police came and took statements from the people who saw everything happening at the bar.

His IDs were handed over to the bar lady where they were drinking.

The post-mortem will tell us what happened,” said Ms Ndlovu.

Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services Bulawayo provincial public relations officer, Principal Correctional Officer Garainashe Moyo, confirmed that Nhlanhla was a trained grade one officer.

“We grieve together with the Siziba family on the untimely death of their son.

It’s a loss to us as the ZPC Services. May his soul rest in peace.

He was a great person to work with and we worked with him well in all the 13 years he has been with us in the organisation,” said Moyo.

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