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Thubelihle Mabhena Court Reporter
THREE Bulawayo City Council traffic officers bashed a pirate taxi driver at the Tower Block after he stormed into their offices complaining about an impounded vehicle, a court has heard.

Robson Chirwa, 41, of Njube suburb and Godfrey Nleya, 31, of Gwabalanda suburb allegedly punched Elijah Nyathi, 34, of Gwanda several times after being instructed by Ndumiso Ndlovu, 39, to escort him out of the offices when he allegedly disrupted a meeting.

Ndlovu, Chirwa and Nleya appeared on Tuesday before Bulawayo magistrate Charity Maphosa facing assault charges.

The trio pleaded not guilty and were remanded out of custody to April 2.

Nyathi said he walked into the office with the intention of speaking to the officers’ superiors after they treated him “appallingly” when his vehicle was confiscated.

“I knocked at the door and someone said I should enter. There was a meeting taking place and I asked to talk to the superiors about the matter,” said Nyathi.

“They denied me access to the superior and I challenged them because I wanted him to hear my grievances. A scuffle ensued and Ndlovu came in from another office. He pushed me out of the room before ordering Chirwa and Nleya to escort me out of the premises.”

Nyathi said Chirwa and Nleya punched and pushed him from the fourth floor as they descended the stairs until they reached ground level.

Prosecuting, Kudakwashe Jaravaza said on February 25, at around 8AM, Nyathi went to the Tower Block situated at Leopold Takawira Street and Robert Mugabe way, Bulawayo. He found the municipal officers holding a meeting with a superior.

Jaravaza said the person addressing the meeting informed Nyathi that he was disrupting a conference.The superior told him to get out but Nyathi insisted that he had issues to sort out and there was a scuffle between him and the people attending the meeting, the court heard.

Ndlovu heard the commotion from the next room and burst in to seek clarification about the row. “Ndlovu pushed Nyathi out of the room and ordered Chirwa and Nleya to escort him out of the building,” said Jaravaza

The court heard that the duo manhandled Nyathi as they escorted him from the fourth floor to the ground level. According to a medical report, Nyathi sustained moderate bruises on his body and was treated at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH).

The matter was reported at Bulawayo Central Police Station, leading to the arrest of the municipal officials.