What Action On Zimbabwean Assault In South Africa?

Given that this assault happened in South Africa, it will be very interesting to see what sympathy is given to the ZANU PF assailant by the pro-Mugabe Zuma administration...

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"A Zimbabwean trying to regularise his stay in South Africa has survived a horror attack by an alleged agent of ZANU PF.

Robert Nzara, who is still nursing internal, head, neck and back injuries, has laid charges of assault after a vicious attack on him last Thursday temporary Zimbabwe consulate at the Bellville Home Affairs office in Cape Town.

Witnesses to the attack include a security guard.

Nzara visited the temporary Zimbabwean consulate to collect his passport.

"We stood in the queue the whole day. When I asked one of the officials to help me around 3pm as I was going to work at night, James (Ketelo) arrested me for causing trouble.

"He held me by the waist and belt and beat me, saying he wanted to prove to me that human rights in South Africa don't work," said Nzara."

In any country (almost) assault on another is illegal. Zuma's administration is obviously pro-Mugabe with his reluctance to force the breaking of the cross-party impasse in Zimbabwe and his reluctance to make any real change, even it he has the blessing of SADC to broker some lasting reform.

"After being beaten up, Nzara was allegedly forced to write a "letter of apology" to the Zimbabwean government for being an "embarrassment".

Ketelo told him that he worked for ZANU PF and the CIO and they would deal with his family back home if he refused to write the letter.

Ketelo then took Nzara to the Bellville police station and allegedly forced him to admit that he had caused trouble in the queue.

When Nzara went back to the consulate office to collect his passport, Ketelo "arrested" him again.

He was then allegedly handcuffed to a chair and beaten with a baton on the chest, head and neck by Ketelo."

I have to question the attitude of those who hide behind the ogre of Mugabe and ZANU PF as an excuse for their illegal actions. Whether this is in Zimbabwe or anywhere else, it is unacceptable.

Legally and socially.

"He vowed to finish me off with a gun. I thought I was going to die," said Nzara.

While Ketelo was allegedly going to fetch his gun, security guard Guy Kamiki freed Nzara.

Kamiki says he has since been fired by Ketelo, but told Sowetan he was willing to testify against Ketelo. He also intends to lodge a challenge to get his job back.

"The man was screaming and was almost dead, many people came to watch the beating. He (Ketelo) had gone to collect his gun from the car.

"I freed the man and told him to run away," said Kamiki.

Ketelo admitted to Sowetan that he had beaten Nzara, and made him write a letter of apology for Ketelo's "own records".

He denied being a ZANU PF Zimbabwean central Intelligence organisation or Interpol agent.

He said he owned Darling Security and was providing security services for the temporary Zimbabwean consulate."

So - we have a complainant, and accused person who admits the assault. What happens now?

Robb WJ Ellis

The Bearded Man