Gokwe Abduction Convicts Moved to Whawha Prison

Gweru - Convicted ZANU PF Youth League activist and Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) officer Isheanesu Benjamin Marima and his accomplices were transferred to Whawha Medium Prison just outside Gweru shortly after their sentencing in the high-profile Gokwe abduction and torture cases, an impeccable source has recently revealed.

According to the source, prison authorities moved the convicted offenders from Gokwe soon after the court proceedings were concluded, citing security considerations and the sensitive nature of the cases.

"Marima and his accomplices were transferred to Whawha Medium Prison shortly after sentencing. The decision was made on security grounds considering the profile of the inmates and the circumstances surrounding the cases," said the source.

The transfer came after Gokwe Magistrate, Stanford Mambanje, sentenced Marima and his co-accused in two separate criminal matters.

The first case, Marima, Collin Masawi and Edwin Chinogwa were sentenced to seven years imprisonment each for the abduction and torture of Criminal Investigation Department Law and Order Detective Constable Bester Tati during the Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 public hearings in Gokwe.

One year of the sentence was suspended, leaving an effective six-year prison term.

Marima was also among seven accused persons convicted in a separate case involving the abduction and assault of commuter omnibus operator Calisto Muzofa, who was allegedly attacked after refusing to pay an illegal rank affiliation fee.

The accused were sentenced to four years imprisonment, with one year suspended on condition of good behaviour.

Magistrate Mambanje described the offences as serious, organised and calculated acts of violence, emphasising the need for custodial sentences to deter similar crimes.

The source says the convicted offenders are now serving their sentences at Whawha Medium Prison from Gokwe Prison, one of the country's major correctional facilities.