Jailed CCC Activist Undergoes Surgery On Fracture Sustained In Police Custody
A Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) activist was injured when anti-riot police stormed a private event in Harare on June 16. The activist, along with 78 other individuals, was arrested during the incident.
The injured CCC activist, identified as Tambudzai Makororo, has since undergone surgery to repair a fracture on her left leg.
Speaking to ZimLive, Dr. Norman Matara of the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) confirmed that the surgery performed on Makororo at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare was “successful”. He said:
She had the operation on Monday. It all went well. The outcome is very positive.
Prison authorities initially appeared reluctant to allow Makororo to undergo the necessary surgery for her leg injury.
Doctors had warned that Makororo had a limited 21-day window for the procedure, after which she may never fully recover from the injury.
To address this issue, the doctors treating Makororo wrote a letter to the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS), which stated in part:
She suffered a fracture of the left tibial plateu during her arrest on June 16. She had a backslab applied by one of our doctors to try and stabilise the fracture and reduce pain and inflammation.
Our specialist orthopaedic surgeon has advised us that she urgently needs surgery to stabilise the fracture she sustained.
The standard of care for such fractures is to do surgical management within 21 days of injury to obtain good long-term outcome and prevent permanent disability.
It is alleged that the police inflicted the injury on Tambudzai Makororo during the incident on June 16.
The doctors treating Makororo expressed optimism that she would fully recover following the successful operation.
Makororo and 77 others including former Harare senator Jameson Timba were further remanded in custody when they appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning.
Their lawyer, Agency Gumbo, who is also the Member of Parliament for Hatcliffe Constituency (CCC) and Shadow Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, said their bail appeal in the High Court has been set down for Thursday, July 11, at 9 AM before Justice Lucy Mungwari.
They are charged with participating in a gathering with the intent to promote violence, breaches of peace or bigotry, as well as disorderly conduct.
The lawyers for the activists told the media that the gathering was a barbecue at the home of Timba, to commemorate June 16, the Day of the African Child.
The CCC activists were denied bail, with a Harare magistrate ruling that the detainees were likely to commit similar offences if released. The activists were allegedly assaulted and tortured during their arrest and while in custody.
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