Juvenile machete killer granted bail.

One of the machete attackers involved in the death of a police detail in Kadoma was granted bail yesterday by high court judge Amy Tsanga. In a court application for bail for 8 of the arrested gold panners, J Mugebe for the state conceded that indeed it was prudent for the court to grant bail to one of the accused persons who is only 14 years of age. The law generally does not favour the incarceration of juveniles with adults. E Samundombe represented the 8 applicants.

The juvenile was ordered to report once every Friday at Battlefields police station in Kadoma and not to interfere with state witnesses among other conditions. He was released ninto the care of his mother. Judgment was reserved for the other 7 applicants. Horrific details emerged during the court proceedings yesterday when the investigating officer in the after took to the witness stand to butress his views on why the accused persons should not be granted bail.He stated that applicants are part of a group known as Zizigi and others are yet to be arrested for the murder of Constable Hokoyo. Two of the applicants had already been on an outstanding warrant of arrest for another murder that they committed in 2018.

The officer said the applicants are a danger to society if released and ought not to be granted bail. Mr Samundombe tried to clear his clients on the murder charge citing that they had been arrested as a result of a dragnet approach by the police to get back at members of the group to which the officer rebutted. The arrest of the machete wielding panners was a welcome relief to most people as they had been terrorising residents and fellow panners in areas where there is a gold rush. People are anxiously waiting to hear the final judgment on the 7 panners by the high court.