A COP who was set to appear in court for allegedly robbing Apostle Charles Chiriseri’s corpse of $200 has died after he was hit by a car at a roadblock. Mkhokheli Mpofu (30), a constable, was hit by a car while manning a roadblock on Friday near the spot where he allegedly robbed the late founder of His Presence Ministries International pastor’s corpse in September last year.
Fellow officers yesterday told the Chronicle they believed Apostle Chiriseri’s spirit was exacting vengeance on Mpofu.
The accident that seriously injured Mpofu occurred at the 397km peg along the Harare-Bulawayo Highway in Mbembesi around 6pm.
He died on admission at the United Bulawayo Hospitals on the same day around 7.30pm.
“A former police officer Mr Peter Cahile was driving a Defender Land Rover towards Bulawayo and he failed to stop at the roadblock,” said a source who declined to be named.
“Mr Cahile told investigators he failed to see Cst Mpofu, who was in the road signalling for him to stop, as it was dark.
He stopped a few metres from the accident scene and was immediately arrested.”
Mpofu was supposed to appear in court on March 28 for allegedly stealing $200, which was in a pocket of the late Apostle Chiriseri at the accident scene.
He allegedly committed the crime with a colleague, Tawanda Mawere (31) and a fire fighter, Mthandazo Rick Dube (34) from the Bulawayo Fire Brigade at the 388km peg along the Harare-Bulawayo Highway last September.
The late apostle was travelling to Bulawayo with his wife Pastor Pertunia Chiriseri, who suffered serious injuries and was admitted in hospital for about a month before she was discharged.
Mpofu and Mawere were stationed at Mbembesi Police Station and according to State papers seen by our Bulawayo Bureau.
Dube retrieved the apostle’s body from the wreckage and searched it.
“He then took $505, 95 from the wallet and recorded it in the Famona Fire Brigade log book and the two other accused persons, Mawere and Mpofu appended their signatures in the presence of Mount Olives International church Pastor Gordon Dube, who was one of the first people to arrive at the scene,” reads the court papers.
When Pastor Dube left the accident scene, the trio allegedly connived to steal $200 from the money they had recovered.
The theft was discovered when a relative to the late apostle, Bishop Colin Nyathi of Harvest House International Ministries communicated with Pastor Dube, who revealed to him the amount of money that was found in Apostle Chiriseri’s pocket.
“On September 17, I inquired from Pastor Nyathi whether he had collected Chiriseri’s property and he told me that he was only handed $305, 95 as the recovered property.
“I confronted Mawere and Mpofu about the missing $200 and they both denied having misappropriated the funds,” the court papers quote Pastor Dube as saying.
According to State papers, the money and the fire fighter’s log book were not recovered.
Investigations led to the accused persons’ arrest and they were set to appear in court.
Matabeleland North police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Eglon Nkala referred questions to the national police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi, who could not be reached for comment yesterday.-Herald