A Kwekwe man who lost his phone accessories at the hands of some police officers has written to human rights lawyers, raising a red flag, amid reports that some cops who are fingered in the matter have been intimidating state witnesses in the pursuit of ‘manipulating’ court processes.

27-year old Maphios Simukai (main picture) told the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights in a letter gleaned by Zwnews that he had:

“noted with disgust the gross interference and intimidation of state witnesses by some of the accused persons in the matter”.

“Whilst the investigating officers have been interviewing state witnesses, intelligence gathered has shown gross interference with witnesses and my fear is that this will likely result in the manipulation of justice”, Simukai wrote.
Read the full text below:
W243
AMAVENI T/SHIP
KWEKWE
12 September 2021
Att: Responsible Authority
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)
HARARE
ZIMBABWE
Dear Sir/Madam
RE: Call for legal assistance/representation and Update in the matter before the Kwekwe Magistrates Court (MAPHIOS SIMUKAI Vs MAGARISANO AND OTHERS C.R 103/08/21)
The above subject matter refers.
I, the undermentioned, do hereby wish to submit my application requesting for legal assistance and or/representation in a criminal case between myself and some Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers to  be heard at the Kwekwe Magistrates Court on a date to be announced.
This particular communication also seeks to update you on the aforementioned matter that was reported  and recorded under C.R 103/08/21 [Maphios Simukai Vs Magarisano and Others].
Whilst I have also attached relevant documentation in connection with the matter, I must reiterate my personal feelings of a brazen violation of my constitutional rights as a Zimbabwean citizen after the fingered police officers from ZRP Kwekwe Central literally (and practically) robbed me of my valuable phone accessories stashed in the satchel that I was carrying in the CBD.
The officers accused me of carying drugs in my bag and subsequently demanded that they search my bag before latter finding out that it had a consignment of 150 Tampered Glasses valued at a cost of US$300.00 and 35 cellular phone pouches with a cumulative monetary value of US$140.
There were also procurement documents in the form of receipts in the bag.
Surprisingly, the officers confiscated the bag despite finding no drugs in it before returning it back to me a few minutes latter.
One of them, a Constable Magarisano is said to have collected the same bag in my absence before leaving a message that ‘the owner of the bag must follow us to Kwekwe Central’.
My efforts to retrace the officers at ZRP Kwekwe Central initially bore no fruitful results as I could not immediately identify the culprits.
My quest for recovering my illegally seized satchel was made easier after a close police source helped me identify one of them, Constable Magarisano.
For weeks on long,the police could not release the satchel and the phone accessories until I decided to write a letter of complaint addressed to the Officer-in-Charge for Kwekwe Central.
Magarisano handed over the satchel back to me in the presence of some police details and Head of the Operations Department, a Constable Chaita on August 7, 2021.
Quite unfortunately and puzzlingly as well, when the satchel was handed over back to me, there was a shortfall of missing accessories totalling to US$142.00.
Procurement documents such as receipts from the shops where the items were purchased were also missing and this was, predictably done to destroy any relevant evidence in the event of litigation.
Nevertheless, the officers promised that they were going to amicably solve the matter with me.
However, the officers in question started dithering on the matter and I have ready evidence in the form of screenshots revealing the SMSes between myself and one of the accused who latter advised that I ‘talk to (his) commanders’, instead.
Defiantly, the officers found it difficult to compensate me and honour the shortfall and at one time, a high-ranking policing authority at the station threatened to beat me up in the event that I kept on pestering and visiting the station in connection with the matter.
Find attached the letters that I have previously written to the O.I.C for Kwekwe Central and the Dispol for ZRP Kwekwe District for reference’s sake.
I have also noted with disgust the gross interference and intimidation of state witnesses by some of the accused persons in the matter.
Whilst the investigating officers have been interviewing state witnesses, intelligence gathered has shown gross interference with witnesses and my fear is that this will likely result in the manipulation of justice.
I committed no crime and was neither charged nor fined.
Could you please kindly assist me in any way possible.
Regards,
Maphios Simukai (Mr)
+263779676707

Zwnews