Tawanda Muchehiwa, the nephew to ZimLive editor Mduduzi Mathuthu, was found yesterday evening, the 1st of August 2020 around 2200hrs after he was ‘dropped off’ at his place of residence by his tormentors. Muchehiwa had been missing since the 30th of July 2020 after his arrest by police officers and his detention at Bulawayo Central Police Station.
Muchehiwa was brutally tortured and has sustained serious injuries. Following his re-appearance, his Lawyer Nqobani Sithole filed a report which was only finalized around 2am this morning.
The MISA-Zimbabwe deployed lawyer stated that Muchehiwa informed him that he was picked up from the police station by officers from the army’s Military Intelligence Department.
He alleges that he subsequently taken to an unknown location which he only recognises as bushy. Muchehiwa is currently at a private hospital in Bulawayo where he is receiving medical attention.
Background
The police officers had since professed ignorance as to his whereabouts which had led MISA-Zimbabwe through lawyer Nqobani Sithole to file an urgent chamber application for habeas corpus.
High Court judge Justice Makonese on 1 August 2020 ordered the police to investigate the whereabouts of Tawanda Muchehiwa and produce the outcome to the Magistrates Courts at Tredgold Building in Zimbabwe’s second city of Bulawayo within 72 hours.
The court had ordered that the 72 hours commenced from 1400hrs on 1 August 2020.
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