Journalists assaulted

A student nurse at Harare Central Hospital was on Wednesday arrested on allegations of assaulting Herald journalists and damaging a company vehicle and camera.
Ignatius Zuze (29) who committed the offence in the comfort of a crowd that quickly deserted him, was taken to Mbare Police Station. Herald senior health reporter, Paidamoyo Chipunza – who is six months pregnant – was punched in the stomach and slapped in the face.
The same man turned on photographer Innocent Makawa and damaged his camera.
He followed Makawa where the company’s Toyota Corolla was parked and pushed him to the car, resulting in the windshield cracking. Zuze, who boasted that his uncle was a senior Central Intelligence Organisation operative, attacked The Herald team that was following up on water problems at Harare Central Hospital.
“Why did you take my photograph? I want to teach you a lesson. I have nothing to fear because you will not do anything to me. My uncle is a CIO director and you are going to lose that job. Tomorrow you will find yourself in the streets,” he charged.
No photographs of the man had been taken and police are holding on to the camera as an exhibit. An attempt to make the report at the hospital’s police post failed after the doors were locked up. The journalists drove to Mbare Police Station to report the case. Zuze admitted, in the presence of the police and several witnesses, to assaulting Chipunza only and denied damaging property.
“I assaulted that woman only. I do not know how the vehicle and the camera were damaged. I assaulted her because her colleague had taken my photograph,” he said.
Asked why he attacked a pregnant woman, Zuze said, “We are equal. That is what they call gender equality. She is just like anyone else.”