Ray Bande Senior Sports Reporter—
THE grudge between Eastern Region Division One teams, Buffaloes and Tenax, sparked by the one-all stalemate that denied the army side Premiership promotion on the final day of the season, has escalated.This is amid reports that prison officers last Friday whisked away helpless players and supporters who had been granted bail in court to Mutare Remand Prison where they allegedly heavily assaulted them for close to four hours.
Violence erupted after the final whistle in the match pitting Buffaloes and Tenax a fortnight ago after the one-all result meant that Harare-based side, Yadah Stars would be promoted into the Premiership instead of Buffaloes.
Several Tenax players, officials and coach, Blessing Madombi were assaulted by irate Mutare fans who felt Tenax should have ensured smooth passage to the top-flight league by the army outfit.
Fans and players accused of perpetrating the violence at Sakubva were arrested and subsequently granted bail last Friday midday.
This appears not to have gone down well with Tenax players, officials and coach Madombi, who are now accused to taking the law into their own hands by literally abducting five helpless players and supporters whisking them away to Mutare Remand Prison where they heavily assaulted them for close to four hours before releasing them.
Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Tavhiringwa Kakokhwa, confirmed that police were investigating a case in which the five players and supporters were assaulted at Mutare Remand Prison.
“We received a report to that effect and we are in the process of investigating the case,” said Kakohwa.
When contacted for comment, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services Manicaland spokesperson, Liberty Mhlanga, denied the allegations that the five were assaulted at Mutare Remand Prison.
“We held them on condition that they were supposed to pay bail and proper procedures were followed. The accused persons have to pay a stipulated amount of bail by the courts and provide authentic proof that they have paid bail.
“Reports that they were assaulted are incorrect and misguided. Our responsibility as an organisation is to correct the offender through rehabilitation or merely just incarceration. We do not punish inmates but people come to prison as punishment not to be punished,” said Mhlanga.
However, Buffaloes captain, Shepherd Nkata, who is one of the players who were heavily assaulted, maintained in a telephone interview on Wednesday that they were assaulted.
“Yes. I was assaulted and came out of Mutare Remand Prison hardly able to walk. They were so brutal and Tenax coach, Blessing Madombi was one of the people who assaulted us at Mutare Remand Prison,” said Nkata.