Judgment Day Set for Marima in Dual Kidnapping and Assault Cases
The Gokwe Magistrates’ Court is set to deliver judgment on Monday, May 4, 2026, on the CID abduction case involving ZPCS officer Isheanesu Marima and associates who are accused of torturing Detective Bester Tati during constitutional hearings.
Dumisani Ndlovu 
Gokwe - The Gokwe Magistrates’ Court is set to deliver judgment on Monday, May 4, 2026, in a high-profile case involving the alleged abduction and torture of a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Law and Order Detective, with Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) officer Isheanesu Marima among the key accused.
In the CID abduction matter, presiding over the case was Magistrate Thomas Gurajena, with the State led by Gokwe Prosecutor Florance Mushanduri.
The case, which has drawn national attention, centres on the alleged kidnapping and torture of Detective Constable Bester Tati during the contentious 2026 Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3) public hearings in Gokwe.
According to the State, Tati was approached on April 1, 2026, by Marima and his associates under the pretext of discussing the ongoing constitutional consultations.
Prosecutors say the meeting quickly turned into an abduction, with the detective allegedly forced into a vehicle and driven to a secluded wooded area near Nembudziya.
It is there that Tati was reportedly subjected to “falaka” torture, a method involving repeated beatings on the soles of the feet, during what investigators believe was an attempt to extract information linked to his official duties.
The court heard that the detective was later dumped at Mutora Business Centre, from where he reported the matter, triggering investigations that led to the arrest of several suspects, including Marima.
In a separate case, Marima and six co-accused are facing charges of kidnapping, assault and malicious damage to property involving commuter omnibus operator Calisto Muzofa.
The State alleges the group attacked and abducted Muzofa after he refused to pay an illegal “rank affiliation fee” at Gokwe bus terminus, before assaulting him in a remote area near Gokwe Cotton Company.
Although the two matters arise from separate incidents and were handled independently before the courts, Prosecutors say the accused exhibited a similar modus operandi, targeting victims, forcibly bundling them into vehicles, transporting them to isolated locations and carrying out coordinated assaults, suggesting a pattern of organised criminal conduct.
Both matters are now set for judgment on Monday at the Gokwe Magistrates’ Court.
The CID abduction case, however, has taken centre stage due to its implications on national security, particularly concerns over the targeting of a serving law enforcement officer.
Legal observers say the outcome will be closely watched, as it could set an important precedent on accountability in cases involving alleged abuse of authority and organised violence.
