Sleepy And Sloshed: Police Officer Found Asleep And Drunk While Guarding Election Materials
A police officer assigned to guard election materials in Jambezi, Matabeleland North, was removed from his duty after being found asleep and allegedly drunk.
The incident, which has sparked concerns about the security of the election process, occurred on Sunday at the Sacred Heart Mission Hall.
Senior police officers conducting spot checks were unable to wake Detective Sergeant Shepherd Tokowa for about 30 minutes, raising serious questions about the officer’s conduct and the effectiveness of the security measures put in place.
According to a police memo seen by ZimLive, the investigating officers arrived at the polling station to discover it locked. Detective Sergeant Tokowa was found asleep inside the hall where he was supposed to be guarding valuable polling materials.
It took persistent efforts before Tokowa finally woke up and unlocked the door. Witnesses present during the incident, including the ward election officer Sikhumbuzo Moyo, expressed their discontent and reported that the officer appeared visibly drunk.
Consequences Of Improper Conduct
As a result of his actions, Detective Sergeant Shepherd Tokowa was immediately relieved of his duties and subsequently arrested for “performing duty in an improper manner.”
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He was taken into custody at the Victoria Falls Police Station, pending further investigation into the incident.
“At about 9 AM on August 20, a team led by Inspector Mbewe was conducting spot checks at polling stations. Upon arrival at Sacred Heart Mission Hall where the member was deployed, they found out that the polling station was locked,” the memo from Victoria Falls police said.
Another police officer peeped through the window “and discovered that the defaulter was still asleep in the hall where he was safeguarding polling material.
“Efforts to awaken the defaulter were made for about 30 minutes when he woke up and unlocked the door.”