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Tendai Rupapa
Two Harare Municipal police officers allegedly “arrested” a taxi driver for parking at an undesignated place before strangling him to death on their way to the city’s recovery yard along Coventry Road.It is alleged that upon noticing that the now deceased, Dick Samuel Goliath, had lost consciousness, Fanuel Toringepi (33) and Hilda Chinya (43), fled from the scene.
Toringepi and Chinya today appeared in court before Mr Douglas Chikwekwe charged with murder.
They were remanded in custody to February 12 for their routine remand.
Mr Chikwekwe advised them to apply for bail at the High Court due to the gravity of their offence which the lower court has no jurisdiction to entertain issues of bail.
Prosecutor Miss Sharon Mashavira alleges that on January 25 around 5pm, Goliath who was employed by Safeway taxis as a driver, parked his vehicle, a Toyota Spacio, along Park Lane in the CBD waiting for passengers.
Toringepi and Chinya, who are employed by City of Harare traffic laws enforcement section, and were in their civilian attire, approached him and accused him of violating the municipal by-laws by parking at an undesignated place.
They allegedly assaulted him before getting into his vehicle. They ordered Goliath to drive to their recovery yard.
It is the State’s case that they ordered him to stop the vehicle when they got to the intersection of Chinhoyi Street and Samora Machel Avenue.
They suddenly grabbed him by the neck firmly until he lost consciousness, it is alleged.
Toringepi and Chinya jumped out of the taxi and got into their recovery vehicle which had arrived at the scene and drove away.
Goliath was rushed to the hospital by Jimmy Maturure and Fungai Makanga who had also arrived at the scene.
He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital and post-mortem results revealed that he died due to strangling.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter