HARARE – The son of former minister Paddy Zhanda was charged with three counts of assault on Monday after he was filmed flogging three farm workers, including two women, while accusing them of stealing.

Police said 40 year old Paddy Zhanda Jnr, of Chipfumbi Farm in Goromonzi, made an initial court appearance at the Harare Magistrates Court after the three workers filed complaints over the January 26 incident.

“The ZRP confirms that Paddy Zhanda, 40, has been arrested and appeared in court today facing three counts of assault,” police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said in a statement.

Nyathi said the three workers Dickson Nyatadzi, 34, Nyasha Salamani, 30, and Loveness Madziva, 29, had also been arrested after Zhanda accused them of stealing 150kg of potatoes from the farm.

“Employers are warned against taking the law into their own hands when workers commit crime,” Nyathi added.

Paddy Zhanda Jnr, whose namesake father was once agriculture minister, is out on bail awaiting trial.- State Media/ Agencies