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Mashudu Mambo, Court Reporter
NINE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) municipal police officers who allegedly fired at vendors with rubber bullets during an operation to clear 5th Avenue of illegal activities have been released on $50 000 bail each.

Ignatius Nyathi (51), Herbert Khumalo (55), Ntokozo Moyo (46), Lungton Moyo (42), Cent Moyo (49) Bekisipho Ncube (50) Lawrence Mathwasa (60 Bekezela Ncube 56, Mthabisi Moyo (30) appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Joseph Mabeza each facing two counts of attempted murder.

They were remanded to 14 March. As part of the bail conditions, the accused were ordered to report once a week at Bulawayo Central Police Station (homicide section).

Prosecuting, Ms Concilia Ncube said February 23 at around 7AM, the accused persons were part of a team of municipal police who were on duty dispersing illegal vendors from an undesignated area along 5th Avenue between Lobengula Street and Jason Moyo Street in the city centre.

The court heard that in the process of doing so, they came across a group of people chanting protest songs against BCC security details.

Bulawayo Central Police Station

“The accused persons who were armed with shotguns fired 41 shots indiscriminately towards the protesting group and as a result, Concilia Ndlovu was shot on the left hand and sustained an injury and there is a lodged foreign object which is yet to be extracted,” said Ms Ncube.

Ndlovu was not part of the group as she was carrying out her normal business.

The second complainant Mr Prosper Munemo was shot in the groin and sustained injuries.

Anti-riot police also attended the scene to restore order and that is how the impasse ended.

Bulawayo City Council (BCC)

About 500 vendors marched to the city hall and demanded to be addressed by the mayor (Clr Solomon Mguni). The firearms, which were used in committing the offence were seized and taken to Harare for ballistic tests. Spent cartridges were also recovered from the scene.

The accused were released after their lawyers Messrs Herbert Chimbete and Maqhawe Mpofu of Coghlan and Welsh Legal Practitioners successfully applied for bail.

Ms Ncube opposed bail, arguing that there was no guarantee that if released, the accused persons would not abscond given the gravity of the offence.