VICE President Joice Mujuru said Tuesday she was shocked by security lapses at the Beatrice farm where her husband died in a raging blaze last August as police details admitted falling asleep on the fateful night.
On-duty ZRP officers told the ongoing inquest into General Solomon Mujuru’s death that they fell asleep on the night adding communications equipment was also faulty.
They also said they were unable to immediately summon emergency services to help put down the blaze because they did not have credit on their mobile phones.
The inquest at the Harare Magistrates' Court heard that three ZRP officers were on duty at the farm on the night, in addition to a private security detail that was stationed at an outer gate to the Beatrice property.
Constable Obert Mark admitted during the second day of the hearing that he and another officer fell asleep after the General returned home at around 8pm only to be roused at 2am in the morning as a blazing fire razed the farm-house.
Augustino Chinyoka, another ZRP constable, said they managed to get in touch with Beatrice Police Station but could not summon the fire services because they did not have enough airtime.
He said fire fighters only arrived at the property around 5AM after they were summoned by the Beatrice Police Station, but they did not carry water in their engines.
Vice President Mujuru, who also questioned the officers, said she was shocked by the lapses in security at the property.
"Your Worship, you know that I was trained in security matters and I know that when you are posted to guard, you are told of the significance of the place you are guarding," she said.
"If you follow what newspapers are saying, these men had been at the farmhouse for six weeks, yet they did not know anything about the place they were guarding."
Speaking after the hearing was adjourned, Mujuru added: "So this person (Constable Obert Mark) in particular was wrong in sleeping on duty... but taking the circumstances in which these things happen is really shocking and you say to yourself is this how a person can discharge his duty?"
She also complained that the family had not been given access to the ZRP officers’ evidence before the hearing.
"I am the wife of the General," she said.
"I was never given an opportunity to see statements made by these men so that if possible I would have assisted them. I am seeing the papers being held by the lawyers and the prosecutors in this court through peeping.
"I don't want to think bad about anybody but I only want to think that somebody might have faltered on his part and these are some of the housekeeping issues that we are now trying to sort out."
The inquest continues.