A ZIMBABWEAN teenager is suing Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Hon. Kazembe Kazembe and Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga for negligently shooting him four months ago.
19 year-old Tashinga Mugwara, who is a resident of Chitungwiza, was shot on 27 June 2022 while at a liquefied gas refuelling station at Taita Shops in Chitungwiza by some ZRP officers, who were reportedly pursuing a robbery suspect and who ordered everyone who was at the gas filling station to sit down.
Mugwara engaged Tinashe Chinopfukutwa of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, who on Wednesday 5 October 2022 filed summons at the High Court claiming damages arising from the negligent conduct of ZRP officers, who left him hospitalised at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals after they negligently shot him on his right hand near the elbow at close range.
Chinopfukutwa said the bullet, which shot Mugwara went through his lower body and went out through his back resulting in him suffering severe injuries and had to be operated.
Mugwara, Chinopfukutwa said, will potentially suffer from adhesive bowel obstruction in future as a result of the injuries which he sustained owing to the unwarranted shooting by ZRP officers.
In shooting Mugwara, Chinopfukutwa said ZRP officers acted negligently as the teenager had not committed any criminal offence, was unarmed and had not threatened the law enforcement agents in any way which justified their resort to severe force.
The human rights lawyer argued that it was reasonably foreseeable in the circumstances that for ZRP officers to resort to the use of live ammunition at a shopping centre, would result in injury to innocent civilians.
Mugwara, Chinopfukutwa said, would as a result of the negligent shooting by ZRP officers suffer damages amounting to US$15 000 broken down as US$5 000 being damages for pain and suffering, US$5 000 for contumelia and affront to dignity. US$5 000 is damages for future medical expenses to be incurred by Mugwara.
The teenager is also claiming payment of US$183 and ZWL$24 351 for special damages for medical expenses which were incurred since June when he was shot by ZRP officers.
Mugwara is among dozens of people who in recent years have or are suing ZRP officers for negligence emanating from the slipshod discharge of their duties.
