A Zimbabwean couple, Sicelubuhle Moyo and Wilfred Dube, were brutally gunned down outside the Randburg Magistrates Court on November 8. The incident occurred as Moyo, a domestic worker, was set to testify against four South African (SA) police officers accused of torturing her.
Moyo’s harrowing experience began in 2018 when she was falsely accused of being involved in an armed robbery at the house where she worked. Subsequently, she faced torture at the hands of the accused police officers, leading to severe physical and emotional trauma.
Her former employer attested to Moyo’s strength, telling The Sowetan,
“She was accused falsely of being part of the robbery… She was probably one of the strongest people I ever met, both physically and emotionally.”
The accused officers, Moleke Makgatho, Katudi Masemane, Sylvester Chuene, and Mariri Mashupe, were facing charges of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate detailed the officers’ alleged acts of torture, stating they “intentionally committed an act of torture by inflicting severe pain or suffering” on Moyo.
“The accused tortured her for the purpose of obtaining information or a confession from her and/or punishing her for an act she was suspected of committing and/or intimidated or coerced her to do or to refrain from doing anything, to wit, instructing her to tell them the truth about a house robbery incident and disclose the identities of the other perpetrators.”
