admin
Mashudu Mambo
IN a rather odd incident, a 32-year-old man from Nineva Village, Mbembesi in Matabeleland North province appeared in court after he allegedly impersonated police officers and forced three juveniles aged 15 to masturbate and ejaculate inside condoms.
Phumulani Masango pleaded not guilty to seven counts of theft, impersonating a police officer, criminal insult, fraud and kidnapping before Bulawayo regional magistrate Joseph Mabeza. He was remanded in custody to 28 May.
Allegations against Masango are that on 18 March 2024 at Fingo Business centre, he approached two juveniles who were on their way home from school and introduced himself as a police officer.
He went on to accuse them of being drunk, slapped them and proceeded to search their bags. Masango ordered the boys to follow him to the police base in Mbembesi but he did not enter the charge office.
He ordered them to board a Toyota Wish car that was supposedly headed to Bulawayo and it stopped after about 200 metres and they disembarked. The suspect then demanded the juvenile’s cellphones claiming that it was against the law for students to have cellphones and it was his duty as a police officer to ensure that the law was observed.
The juveniles were then locked in a room that was close to a bar, after some time Masango returned and indicated that he was taking the victims to the school authority as it was late and risky for the victims to go home. However, he led them to his homestead and while they were there, he ordered them to wear condoms and masturbate. The juveniles complied and when they failed to ejaculate he ordered them to urinate and repeat the act. They eventually ejaculated and he ordered them to remove condoms and place them on the floor and he promised to buy them food. The victims were released in the morning.
On 29 March 2024, Masango met up with another victim whom he ordered to follow him to his homestead and forced him to masturbate and leave the used condom on the floor. The three juveniles reported the matter to the police and investigations were carried out.
In addition, sometime in March, at Mbethe Village, Masango approached Tapson Majola and introduced himself as a lawyer after receiving a tip-off that he needed legal representation for his son who had been arrested. Masango promised to represent him in court and Majola paid him US$250.
After a while, Majola discovered that Masango was not a lawyer after he heard that he had been arrested for impersonating a police officer.
The matter was reported to the police as well.
Online Reporter