Two Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers from Beitbridge were arrested on Friday for murder after they allegedly assaulted an unlawful entry and theft suspect to death, burnt his remains which they then stashed in a sack and hid them in a drainage system to cover up their crime.
Xander Siyasayi (32) and Daniel Peyani (33) of Tuli and Zezani police camps are expected to appear in court this week.
Police spokesperson for Matabeleland South Province Inspector Loveness Mangena confirmed the incident, saying police were still searching for the missing parts of the victim and trying to determine why and how the body was burnt.
According to the police statement, on 27 December 2020, at about 8 am, the now deceased’s girlfriend, Beatrice Ndou (24) made a report at Swereki Police Base alleging that her boyfriend [identified as Blessing Nare] had stolen cash from her workplace.
Ndou, who is employed at Toporo Special Bottle Store, which is owned by Gwanda District Administrator, Kilibone Ndou, alleged that his boyfriend had stolen cash amounting to 10 140 rands and $200.
Constables Siasayi and Peyani, who were manning the police base, however, did not record the report in the report book.
On the same day at about 7 pm, the now deceased was picked up from Toporo Special Bottle Store where he was residing with his girlfriend, Beatrice.
Siasayi and Peyani then escorted him and a co-accused, Godknows Mbedzi, back to Swereki Police Base and the following day, the 28th, the constables assaulted the now deceased with a stick interrogating him about the alleged stolen money.
On the same day, the accused released Mbedzi but took the now deceased to Toporo Business Centre in a bid to recover the stolen money.
On 29 December around 8 am, Siasayi and Peyani, in the company of the owner of the bottle store, escorted the now deceased from Swereki police base proceeding to Toporo Business Centre once again.
Later that day, at around 2 pm, the two police officers were seen at Swereki shops without the now deceased who never reached home.
On 4 January 2021, the deceased’s mother, Sibongile Ndou, told one Inspector Marisa, who is the Officer in Charge at Zezani, that her son did not return home since his arrest.
On 5 January 2021, Insp Marisa went to Swereki base and the investigating officers told him that the now deceased escaped from their custody.
A search was commissioned on 7 January and the decomposing remains of the deceased were found stashed in a white sack inside a concrete drainage system and the clothes and body parts seemed to have been burnt.
