Villagers in Mahetshe, Maphisa, Matabeleland South, are preparing to challenge the acquittal of three police officers accused of assaulting 12 schoolchildren at Mahetshe Primary School. The community’s traditional leaders say justice was not served.
The officers, Nhlalo Ndlovu, Vimbai Madlabuzela, and Trust Chizodza, were cleared on 23 October 2025 after Kezi magistrate Busani Sibanda ruled that the State had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The officers were accused of beating pupils with open hands, switches, and electrical cables during a May 2025 “awareness campaign,” leaving several children injured.
Chief Mayenga Fuyane told CITE that the ruling has left the Mahetshe community deeply dissatisfied and determined to pursue an appeal. He said:
“I went to Kezi Court to understand because I was not part of the people who were going to listen. I was receiving briefings from the senior village head.
“When I went to court, I didn’t find the magistrate who was presiding over the case.
“I found two court officials, and we spoke, but I was not satisfied with the answers I was getting from them.
“They said they were not the ones who dealt with that case, so they could not answer some of my questions.”
Chief Fuyane said he had posed key questions to the officials about accountability, including whether the prosecutors believed that justice had truly been served. He said:
“I had asked that since it was said the suspected police officers were innocent, they, as prosecutors, who are the ones representing the children, did they think justice was served and if not, what the way forward was.
“If justice was served, why were they saying that? They said they cannot answer as they were not the ones dealing with that case.”
Chief Fuyane said court officials informed him that, although the ordinary appeal period had closed, there were still other legal avenues available to challenge the ruling.
He questioned whether the officials were distancing themselves from a case in which they had initially assured that the State would represent the children. To better understand the proceedings, Chief Fuyane has since obtained the court transcript.
Before taking further action, the chief consulted other village elders, who encouraged him to seek assistance from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR). He has now engaged with a ZLHR lawyer and is awaiting further communication.
The three police officers were charged with assaulting 12 pupils during a May 2025 school “awareness campaign” at Mahetshe Primary School.
Parents and villagers reported that the children were beaten with switches, open hands, and electrical cables.
During the trial, Magistrate Busani Sibanda ruled that the State had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, citing inconsistencies, contradictory testimonies, and poor police investigative work.
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