Eugene Dhlamini
Court reporter
Nine Bulawayo Municipal Security Police officers (BSMP) have been arraigned before the courts on attempted murder charges.
The BMSP officers, popularly known as OMaKhokhoba, are accused of indiscriminately shooting at illegal vendors in Bulawayo Central District using rubber bullets.
Prosecutor Concilia Ncube representing the state told the court that on 23 February 2023 the accused persons were on duty dispersing illegal vendors along Fifth Avenue and Fife Street at around 7am from Lobengula Street to Jason Moyo Street.
While carrying their duties the, OMaKhokhoba, came across a group of people who were chanting protest songs against the Bulawayo City Council whose orders to remove the illegal vendors from the said streets came from.
The charge sheet said the accused persons were armed with shotguns, fired 41 shots indiscriminately towards the protesting group.
One of the protesters Concilia Ndlovu was shot on the left hand and sustained injuries and she still has a lodged foreign object which is yet to be extracted from her body.
The BCC security officers appeared before Magistrate Joseph Mabeza on the 28th of February 2023 facing two counts of attempted murder and were granted ZWL$50 000 bail each.
The trail is yet to be concluded.