Zimbabwe police arrest “officer” who beat handcuffed man in SkyNews video

Police have arrested one of the security officers who was seen assaulting a handcuffed man in a SkyNews video that was widely circulated yesterday.

They also said the video was not fake but was shot on Saturday, 26 January.

Police spokesperson Charity Charamba said the man arrested was in civilian clothes carrying a satchel and was the first to assault the handcuffed man.

She identified him as Constable Makumire whom she said was on suspension and was facing four counts of theft.

Makumire was suspended in September last year and was supposedly not on official duty.

“Constable Makumire is seen in the video clad in civilian attire with a satchel strapped on his back assaulting the victim,” Charamba said in a statement.

“The member was not on official duty during the time of the offence as he is on suspension. He has since been arrested and is assisting the police with investigations in the current case.”

Charamba said Makumire was on bail for contravening a section of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act. His crime register number was 2632 Harare and had a Rotten Row Court record book number 11419/18.

“The security services have always been emphasizing that bogus and rogue elements are responsible for acts of lawlessness which are tarnishing the good standing of the security forces,” Charamba said.

“Earlier reports had indicated that the video was shot in 2016, however, upon further clarification from the investigating team it was established that the video was actually shot on Saturday January 2019.

“Investigations are widening to account for the remaining members of the security services captured in the video.”

There was outrage after the video was posted on social media and President Emmerson Mnangagwa promised to order investigations into the case.

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