adminJUST as the Lupane community is still trying to come to grips with the chilling rape and murder of a 15-year-old Fatima High School pupil, a blanket of fear and grief has once again been cast over the community after a 74-year-old man allegedly died at the hands of police officers investigating the high school murder case.
The man, Never Mhlanga of Fatima Village under Chief Mabhikwa, is the father of the 29-year-old prime suspect, Casper.
Villagers who spoke to Sunday News on Friday said Mhlanga died on 29 January, six days after he was allegedly harassed and struck with a hoe handle on his back by one of the investigating officers who suspected him of harbouring his wanted son.
While results of a post-mortem conducted at United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) show that Mhlanga succumbed to pulmonary Tuberculosis, his family contends that he died of injuries sustained from the alleged police assault as his health only started deteriorating after the “assault”.
Mhlanga’s eldest son, Dumisani, at whose house his father passed away, chronicled the events leading to the old man’s death.
Dumisani said investigating police officers from Jotsholo Police Station visited his father at his compound in Fatima Village, on Thursday 22 January at about 7pm with dogs, looking for his younger brother, Casper, who had escaped from police custody after being arrested earlier in connection with the high school rape and murder case.
“When the police officers arrived at my father’s compound, my younger brother (Casper) saw them and immediately ran away. They tried to give chase but failed to catch him and that’s when they came back to my father.
“They asked him some questions but then I don’t know what transpired between my father and the investigating officers, as one of the officers suddenly took a 25 litre bucket of water and emptied it on my father and left him drenched,” he said.
The next day, Friday 23 January, Dumisani said, the four investigating officers returned to Mhlanga’s compound and found him working in his field with his wife.
“They (police officers) started searching the compound without notifying my father. When he approached them to ask why they were doing so, they started accusing him of harbouring my brother. One of the police officers picked up a hoe handle and struck my father on his back once and he fell to the ground.
“The other police officers restrained their colleague and asked to discuss the matter humanely. They then continued with their investigations and asked my father where Casper was and my father professed ignorance. The police officers then left,” said Dumisani.
The 34-year-old Fatima High School employee said he was then informed by his mother on Saturday 24 January that his father had suddenly fallen ill and was now bedridden following the alleged police attack.
After receiving the message on Saturday, Dumisani said he then asked to be excused from work and rushed to his father’s homestead to attend to the emergency.
“I immediately took my father to Fatima Clinic but the nurses there refused to attend to him saying they wanted a police report since his injuries were a result of an assault. That left me in a dilemma because the same police officers who had attacked my father were the ones who were supposed to give the police report.
“I also felt that going to the police to report that my father had been beaten up by investigating officers at a time when his son was the number one suspect, would seem as if I was trying to cover up or interfere with their investigations. I then decided to take my father to my home in Gundwane Village where I was going to nurse him,” he said.
A Roman Catholic priest only identified as Father Jay heard of Dumisani’s dilemma and helped in making a police report to allow the ailing Mhlanga to be treated at St Lukes Hospital.
Unfortunately Mhlanga died before he could be assisted.
“We made a police report at Jotsholo Police Station and my father was due to be taken to St Lukes for treatment by Father Jay, but unfortunately he died on the eve of the day he was scheduled to go for treatment. He died in my house,” said Dumisani, who at this time was close to tears.
“We reported the death at Jotsholo Police and police details from Lupane police came to take statements. They then took my father’s body to St Luke’s Hospital before it was taken to UBH hospital in Bulawayo for a post-mortem.
“The post-mortem results show that my father died of pulmonary tuberculosis but my father had never shown any signs of illness before he was assaulted by the police. Even if he had that TB, which I know he didn’t have, how do you explain the TB only killing him just days after he was assaulted by police?” said Dumisani.
An application for post-mortem by police, which was seen by Sunday News, states that “the now deceased complained of back-ache and was vomiting yellow stuff. Her later passed on, on 29 January 2015”.
However, the medical certificate of death number 003586 from UBH, also seen by this publication, does not in any way mention the deceased’s back injuries but only states that he died due to “extreme desnutrition due to pulmonary Tuberculosis (TB)”.
“It raises a lot of suspicion. Maybe police are trying to cover up or it’s me who doesn’t understand these matters, I wouldn’t know. Initially they wrote that my father didn’t have a national identity card and they had to change that after I produced his identity card. Somehow they say my father’s name was Lawrence when he was Never. That’s another mistake on the documents that’s stopping me from processing his death certificate,” said a distraught Dumisani.
Fatima village head Mr Gideon Mhlophe, who expressed shock at Mr Mhlanga’s death, said his concern was that the police officers came into his area to conduct their investigations without consulting the local leadership.
He said in as much as he was not privy to circumstances leading to Mhlanga’s death, he felt the police could have handled the matter in a better way if they had consulted the local leadership.
“They were supposed to come to me first because I know almost everything that is happening here. Now concerning this issue, I was just hearing that the investigating officers have taken one of my people while I was not even aware.
“They always do that. They come and interrogate my people without even notifying me. Now when such unfortunate incidents happen it becomes a community loss and misfortune,” said Mr Mhlophe.
Efforts to get hold of the Matabeleland North police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Siphiwe Makonese were fruitless as she was not picking up her mobile phone yesterday.
National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba could not comment on the matter saying she did not have details of the case at hand and referred us back to Inspector Makonese .
“I don’t have details of that case. That’s not a national case and I have not been appraised on the matter. I suggest that you call Asst Insp Makonese she is better positioned to give you a comment,” said Snr Asst Comm Charamba.
Mhlanga was buried on Tuesday.
His son, Casper, who is suspected to have raped and murdered the 15-year-old pupil, has since been arrested and is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
Online Reporter