Top cop crashes impounded car

Nyore Madzianike Senior Court Reporter

OFFICER Commanding CID Vehicle Theft Squad (VTS) stationed at Southerton Police Station in Harare, Chief Superintendent Kirispen Mutsengi, yesterday appeared in court on allegations of crashing a Mazda BT50 truck which was being held as exhibit in a criminal case.

The vehicle had been impounded while being smuggled into the country through Nyamapanda Border Post.

Mutsengi appeared before Harare regional  magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje charged with criminal abuse of duty as a public officer. He was not asked to plead to the charge and was remanded to September 30 on $10 000 bail.

Prosecutors Miss Audrey Chogumaira and Ms Nancy Chandakaona said on March 21 this year, the Police Service Commission received a report on the abuse of recovered motor vehicles held as exhibits at CID Vehicle Theft Squad, Southerton.

 Mutsengi was said to be driving one of them. On June 7, 2021, the commission launched an investigation into the allegations which led to the recovery of the Mazda BT50 at a private garage at the corner of Main and Soutter roads, New Ardbennie, Harare where it was being repaired.

It is said that further investigations revealed that on January 14, 2020, detectives at CID Vehicle Theft Squad, Southerton recovered the car at Nyamapanda Border Post after it was suspected to have been stolen from a Mozambican national, Promise Sabawu Waize, who was crossing into Zimbabwe.

The State alleges that the police also established through Interpol that the vehicle belonged to a South African national, Domian-Lee Kockolt, who was robbed at gun point in Durban, South Africa. 

Upon impounding the car, police detectives took it to CID Vehicle Theft Squad, Southerton where it was secured under exhibit number 11/20 and enquiry report number 04/20.

The State further alleges that police established that Mutsengi was involved in an accident on February 14, 2020 at around 5:30am at corner Glenara and Samora Machel Avenue, Harare leaving the vehicle extensively damaged. 

Police attended the accident.