Bus owner accused of mafia-style tactics

BULAWAYO – The owner of Mzansi Express, a bus company that plies the Bulawayo-Johannesburg route has been accused by a former employee of using mafia tactics that resulted in the worker being caged at Johannesburg Police Station, South Africa.

The station became the home for one Onward Moyo after he was allegedly beaten up and arrested by South African police at his boss’s offices in Johannesburg.

Moyo lays the blame on his former boss, the owner of the bus company, Dylan Cabangani Mangena whom he claimed unleashed cops on him.

“He called the police to come and get me. They beat me up in front of everyone and dehumanised me. They took away my passport, money and phone. As such when they took me in I was registered as an illegal emigrant. But I had been invited to South Africa by him to settle a labour dispute,” Moyo narrated his story to B-Metro after his release.

Sounding like a storyline from South African soapie Generations, Moyo said he was told by Mangena that he would be dealt with for good.

“When the police took me away, he sent a stern warning that it would be the end of me,” he said.

While they took Moyo into custody his uncle fled from the scene to alert his family back in Zimbabwe.

“I called his wife back home to tell her what had happened. She then went to report the issue with the police in Bulawayo,” said Jabulani Moyo.

As the family made frantic efforts to get Moyo released from the slammer, he was also fighting his battle inside.

“I was put in a cell with 15 people. The food was awful. Bread and tea was very pathetic. Since I was logged as an illegal emigrant when immigration officials came to get my fingerprints I refused. They then checked their data system and found out I had entered South Africa legally and still had valid dates. Thereafter, they took the police to task and then Mangena came back to open a fraud case against me,” Moyo said.

Moyo’s stay was to be made tough as he was sent to another cell that had suspected armed robbers and fraudsters.

“I was then moved to a cell with dangerous criminals. In no time my date in court came. I won the case after proving to them how I ended up behind bars,” he said, showing B-Metro his arrest charge sheet and court clearance.

B-Metro spoke to Mangena who referred this publication to his country director Vincent Pamire who said he was aware of Moyo’s arrest but said it had to do with fraud and extortion.

“He has been stealing from the company. He went to South Africa to try to force his former boss to pay him money,” Pamire said.

However, it turns out Moyo had won a case against his employer at the labour courts in Bulawayo for unfair dismissal from work.

On why he went to South Africa, he said his boss had called him to collect the money he was owed.

“He invited me to South Africa to collect money that he was told (by the courts) to pay me. But he ended up getting me arrested,” Moyo added. B Metro