Cop’s fierce fight with woman ends in court

By Daniel Chida

BOTSWANA – A 26- year- old Zimbabwean woman and a 21- year old police volunteer are expected to appear before Maun Magistrate court charged with affray.

The two, Margaret Hudson and the volunteer , Morris Dipateletso were engaged in a bitter fight on Saturday which left the woman with a swollen face and heavy bleeding from the nose and ears.

Hudson in an interview told The Voice that the volunteer beat her up for no particular reason while she was on her way to the shops.

She claims that during the fight she lost her passport and police have since refused to assist her because of that.

“I was on my way to buy food and they pounced on me from behind and started beating me until I was rescued by one of them.

They have the habit of harassing us just because we are Zimbabweans.

I will fight for justice,” Hudson fumed.

The mother of one however said that for the past two years of her regular visits to Botswana to do small jobs like laundry and plaiting hair, it was the first time for her to be brutally beaten by the police for no apparent reason.

But contrary to Hudson’s claims Maun Police Station Officer Assistant Superintendent Boreteletse Papani said that his colleague told them that a fight ensued when Hudson tried to run away from police custody.

According to Papani the volunteer had arrested the woman together with three other illegal immigrants but while on their way to the police station for detention she decided to run away.

“Our volunteer says that Hudson did not have any document on her to prove that she was in the country legally but when taking them to the police she ran away leading to a chase that ended in a fight.”

Since the police did not know who to believe, they decided to charge both parties with affray and will appear before the magistrate court once the injured woman has healed.

“She cannot talk properly because of her injuries but we will try to look for more witnesses so that the court can have a clear picture of what transpired that day”. The Voice (Botswana)