Online Reporter
Zvikomborero Parafini
Court Reporter
JAILED Congolese professional boxer Bololo Katomba, who was serving time for assault, was back in court yesterday facing fresh assault charges after he savagely beat a prison officer at Harare Central Prison.
Katomba pleaded guilty to the offence when he appeared before Harare magistrate Artwell Sanyatwe. He was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, which was wholly-suspended on condition that he does not commit a similar offence in the next five years.
Magistrate Sanyatwe ordered his deportation as he had already completed his first sentence and was waiting for immigration officials to facilitate his return to the Democratic Republic of Congo tomorrow.
The complainant Taona Nyoni, who resides at Harare Central Prison Camp, is employed by the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services as a prison officer and is currently based at Harare Central Remand Prison.
Prosecutor Monalisa Magwenzi had it that on December 12, at around 9am and at Harare Central Remand Prison, Katomba was violent towards other inmates and Nyoni tried to stop him from the act.
Katomba then reacted by hitting Nyoni several times all over his body with tar ruble.
Nyoni sustained severe injuries to his eye as a result of the assault and he was medically examined.
The medical affidavit was produced in court as evidence.
Katomba told the court that he had been infuriated by how prison officers had assaulted him for non-compliance during body searches, which are conducted daily at prisons for security reasons.
Initially, Katomba was arrested at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport after assaulting officials as he was on a layover in Zimbabwe en route to South Africa, and was sentenced to two months imprisonment.
