Victims of brutality perpetrated by some soldiers have begun accessing justice with the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) making payments to compensate them for egregious violations of their fundamental rights during an unprecedented clampdown of liberties.
ZNA Commander Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Matatu and Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri, were sued by two Harare residents Felix Mafondokotoand Muchademba Muponde, who were victims of brutality perpetrated by some ZNA members in 2019.
Mafondokoto, a 44 year-old man, was shot by ZNA members on 19 January 2019, when soldiers were dispersing people during a clampdown on anti-government protests, where people protested against an arbitrary hike in fuel prices and the agonising economic crisis blamed on President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration.
While Mafondokoto was not participating in the protests, he ended up being admitted in hospital after sustaining injuries from being shot at by a ZNA member.
The Chitungwiza resident, who suffered severe injuries from the shooting and still has some bullet fragments in his body, engaged Kossam Ncube of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), who assisted him to sue Matatu and Muchinguri and demanded to be paid US$49 000 in damages for the violation of his fundamental rights.
In the summons filed at Harare Civil Magistrates Court, Mafondokoto asked the court to order Matatu and Muchinguri to compensate him for pain and suffering which he endured, nervous shock, loss of earnings and for the medical expenses, which he incurred as he got hospitalised for treatment.
In the case of Muponde, he was heavily brutalised by some soldiers on 16 January 2019, when the ZNA members were deployed to suppress the countrywide anti-government protests.
Muponde was assaulted by soldiers as he accompanied his grandfather to buy a chicken at Glenview 1 Shopping Centre in Harare, where he saw a group of soldiers chasing people around and he also began to flee.
One of the soldiers, who was brandishing a gun, spotted him and gave chase and caught him before assaulting him on the back of his body and neck using the back of the firearm.
The Harare man started bleeding when the soldier hit him on the back of his head and ran to hide at a nearby homestead. But the soldier followed him and continued assaulting him using the back of the gun at the homestead.
At one point, the soldier even lifted his gun threatening to shoot him. Muponde sustained serious injuries on both legs including internal injuries on his left leg as a result of the assault and he could not walk.
The soldier continued beating him and only stopped after seeing the severity of the injuries sustained by Muponde and instructed him to wash the blood off his face.
Muponde and Mafondokoto are the latest victims of brutality perpetrated by members of the security services to successfully sue for violations and hold them accountable for their barbaric actions.
By bringing anti-impunity civil proceedings against perpetrators, ZLHR aims to deter and discourage acts of human rights violations in Zimbabwe.
ZLHR
