Nyau dancers taken to court for assault

Community News
Eight Nyau dancers were last week dragged before the Bindura Magistrates Court facing charges of kidnapping and assaulting a Glendale man.

BINDURA —- Eight were last Nyau dancers week dragged before the Bindura Magistrates Court facing charges of kidnapping and assaulting a Glendale man.

HAZVINEI MWANAKA

The dancers allegedly dragged the complainant to a cemetery and forced him to sleep on top of a grave before ordering him to eat soil from the grave side.

The eight, Mark Chidigu (31), Garikai Zuze (29), Edwin Mponda (17), Jivers Chimhepo (17), Rice Frances (18), Rushmore Mulinyu (17), Norman Katsiga (19) and Wilbert Kanyima (36) who were also facing charges of malicious damage to property, pleaded not guilty when they appeared before magistrate Eric Kadye.

The State, represented by Jefta Chikura, alleged that on December 13 last year at around 7am, the accused persons went to Wellington Kabiseni’s residence at Villa Farm in Glendale and accused him of undermining the Nyau culture.

Kabiseni denied the accusation and ran to seek refuge inside his house.

The accused persons allegedly broke the door to the house and force-marched the complainant to the graveyard.

At the gravesite the accused persons allegedly assaulted the complainant all over his body using sticks and forced him to sleep on top of one of the graves.

The other group members Chidigu and Zuze allegedly forced him to eat soil from the grave side.

The court also heard that the accused persons later tied the complainant’s arms and neck using his belt and a rope.

The group later released their victim after his brother, identified as Tobias Nhete, arrived at the scene.

In their defence, the accused persons alleged that the complainant came voluntarily to their shrine in order to prove that he was also part of the Nyau culture.

The case was postponed to April 25 for continuation of the trial.

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