By Admore Mbonda in Kariba
A senior police officer in Masvingo has been dragged to court after allegations that he handled a suspended officer’s case in a way that exposed the public to danger, it emerged during a hearing at Masvingo Central Police Station last Tuesday.
Gutu CID Officer-In-Charge, Inspector Edward Chiweta, appeared before Masvingo Magistrate Munyaradzi Masimba, facing a charge of negligence of duty.
Prosecutors allege that after he deployed a junior police officer who was previously on suspension for murder, the deployed officer later used a firearm during operations leading to the death of a civilian passenger.
The court proceedings, sources said, are being handled as a policing matter rather than an ordinary criminal public trial, with access limited to those directly involved in the case.
According to the allegations presented in court, Constable Farai Simudzirai (43) the junior officer at the centre of the dispute after being reinstated into active duty, allegedly opened fire and killed an innocent passenger who was seated in the back of a Mazda B1800 traveling along the Beitbridge route.
The prosecution claims the officer’s deployment was wrongful and that Inspector Chiweta, as the commanding officer responsible for duty assignments, failed to take sufficient steps to prevent the risk of a serious and unresolved offence from escalating into further harm.
Zimbabwe’s police disciplinary framework allows officers facing charges under the Police Act to elect how their cases are heard. Officers may be tried either before a board of senior police officers or before a magistrates’ court depending on notice and the procedure followed.
In court, reference was made to provisions of the Police Act, particularly the section dealing with the choice between a board of officers and a magistrates’ court, noting that where proper notice is given in time and in the required manner, the matter may be tried by a magistrate rather than a board.
Simudzirai was on suspension for allegedly murdering another Police officer, Constable Privilege Hove on April 21, 2024, in Karoi. A Police officer who has a criminal case at the courts is suspended from active duty until the matter is finalized.
Chiweta deployed Simudzirai to duty on March 16, 2025 and Simudzirai allegedly shot and killed Shadreck Madzore (24) near Rutenga, Mwenezi.
As a result, even though the alleged offence involves a death, the matter is being treated as an internal police case. The public, it was indicated, is not allowed to attend** the hearing.
Legal discussions around the case have focused on whether Inspector Chiweta’s decision to deploy the suspended officer amounted to negligence of duty, and whether adequate safeguards were observed before reinstating a junior officer whose alleged murder conduct was still under disciplinary consideration.
The hearing continues as the court weighs the allegations and the submissions from both sides.
Simudzirai was on suspension for allegedly murdering another Police officer, Constable Privilege Hove on April 21, 2024, in Karoi. A Police officer who has a criminal case at the courts is suspended from active duty until the matter is finalized.
Chiweta deployed Simudzirai to duty on March 16, 2025 and Simudzirai allegedly shot and killed Shadreck Madzore (24) near Rutenga, Mwenezi.
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