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Oh No: Man Who Lost His Eye to Police Brutality Opens Up on How the Tragedy Occurred

Published

7 years ago

August 30, 2017

A Zimbabwean man from Harare, has relived the horrific moment his eye was gouged out during a vicious police attack, saying he was savaged while trying to save his wife from verbal and physical abuse by the cops.

According to Daily News, Livingstone Zvimba, Tendai Masungambira, Sunday Nyaude, Khululekani Dale, Evans Mashonganyika — all members of the Police Reaction Group — appeared before Harare magistrate Farai Gwitima yesterday facing assault charges.

The court heard that Washington Gezana was at the intersection of Kenneth Kaunda Avenue and Julius Nyerere Way with his wife Yvonne Magora when the gang of cops who were controlling traffic labelled her a prostitute. The police officers then slapped her when her husband attempted to protest.

“On March 23, around 8pm, I was walking with my wife Magora heading towards East along Kenneth Kaunda Avenue and there were light showers.

“Upon arrival at the intersection, I saw police officers in riot gear controlling traffic,” Gezana narrated in his statement.

“We then crossed the first lane of Julius Nyerere Way and stood on the island to cross the other lane which leads out of town.

“One of the cops approached us and asked why we were standing there and I responded that we were failing to cross the road.

“The police officer then slapped my wife and two more cops joined in the assault. I intervened and they turned to me and started assaulting me.

“One of them attacked me with an unknown object on my right eye and I fell down but they continued attacking me,” he said.

Gezana blacked out after the assault and could no longer see anything as his left eye’s vision had also been affected.

“I could hear voices saying ‘let’s leave this person he is badly injured.’ After a while I gained consciousness and cried for help but could not see anyone because my left eye had also been affected,” he said.

“A kombi driver called Mahara later ferried me to Harare Central Police Station and I requested to be treated at Parirenyatwa Hospital where my wife works and they complied.”

The doctor who examined him said his eye had been damaged and lost fluid hence it had to be removed before Gezana was booked for an emergency operation the following day.