Ugandan accuses countrymen of vicious beating
A Ugandan native, who has lived in Botswana for more than 20 years, claims he was assaulted, tortured and nearly blinded in a vicious attack meant to force a confession for a crime he insists he didn’t commit.
John Kennedy, 52, says his attackers included two of his fellow Ugandans, a brother and sister duo who are also his landlords, as well as two local men masquerading as Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers.
In an exclusive interview with The Voice, Kennedy, whose eye is still red raw from the beating, revealed the early morning raid happened at his rented residence in Gaborone, Extension 10 location on 16th January.
“Three men turned up at my place at around half seven. They asked me if I knew that CID had been looking for me. I said no. They told me to go inside and put on my shirt.”
The dreadlocked foreigner says the trio followed him into his room, pushing him inside, and locking the door before all hell broke loose and he was beaten black and blue.
“They were three men. Two were Batswana I don’t know claiming to be CIDs, and one was Riyadz Matovu, whose family I have known for years.”
He alleges Riyadz’s sister, Chamima Matovu, then turned up and took part in the brutal beating.
“They beat me all over my body, even my face. They threatened to kill me. They used a sharp object and tried to remove my eye.”
Explaining the motive behind the assault, Kennedy revealed that on 29 December, the Matovu family’s tailoring business, operating from the main house in the same yard where he rents a back room, was broken into.
The following day, Kennedy’s place was also targeted.
Although both incidents were reported to police, statements taken and fingerprints lifted, it seems the Matovus believed their tenant was behind the burglary.
“They suspected me because I stay in the yard full time,” he explained.
Kennedy says the quartet demanded he call a man identified as Peter and tell him that he had a ‘buyer for certain goods’.
Desperate for the blows to stop he complied.
“They took my SIM card and put it into their phone. They angrily said I wasn’t talking properly and wanted Peter to know that they were there.”
According to Kennedy, Chamima then began recording him, attempting to force him to say that he knew about stolen goods.
Fearing for his life as the assault intensified, he says he lied to his attackers, telling them the goods they were looking for were at the house of his friend, Danny Muwanguzi, who runs a tailoring business at African Mall.
“They didn’t believe me, but it was the only way I could survive,” mumbled Kennedy, a land surveyor by profession but who is currently surviving on his carpentry skills.
Backing up his mate’s narrative, Muwanguzi confirmed that Riyadz had been searching for Kennedy days before the attack, moving around with people claiming to be CIDs.
“I advised Kennedy and told him to stay home so the police could find him if they wanted him. He told me the police already had his details and that they promised to call him anytime should they need him,” said Muwanguzi, adding on the fateful day, Kennedy was driven to his house around 0800hrs a whimpering mess.
“They beat him for about 45 minutes. They told me they were CIDs and said they were also looking for me.”
Smelling a rat, Muwanguzi says him and his wife asked to see the ‘officers’ identification cards which they failed to produce.
With the beating continuing inside the parked Hilux car the group had arrived in, a neighbour, who as luck would have it is a genuine CID officer, intervened after hearing the commotion.
He too demanded to see some ID, which again the pair could not provide.
999 was called and the cops responded quickly, arriving at the scene and whisking the suspects to Gaborone Central Police Station for questioning and statements.
They were detained for 48hrs, charged with Assault Causing Grievous Bodily Harm and released.
In a brief interview, Gaborone Central Police Station Commander, Sharpson Mbuso confirmed his officers were investigating the incident.
The Superintendent stressed this was a complex issue, adding the four have not yet been taken to court but were helping the police with their investigations.
In an effort to get the alleged aggressors side of the story, The Voice managed to contact Chamima, who said she had to confer with her lawyer first and promised to call back.
However, she never got back to us and stopped taking our calls.
