HARARE – Two bouncers, Gideon Sanyangore, 32, and Blessing Kumunda, 36, are facing attempted murder charges and have been denied bail by Harare magistrate Stanford Mambanje. The two were arrested on New Year’s Eve and will remain in prison until January 31st after being remanded in custody. Mambanje ruled that the two were likely to abscond if granted bail and also expressed concern that they may interfere with witnesses in the case.

The incident occurred on Boxing Day at an upmarket club in Borrowdale, Harare. According to the prosecution, Sanyangore and Kumunda were drinking at the club when they were approached by private security guards who were closing up for the night. When asked to leave, the bouncers reportedly refused and began pushing the security guards out of the club. Kumunda then allegedly pulled a knife and attempted to stab the guards. One of the complainants, Wilson Kaminyu, sustained deep cuts on his left hand fingers while attempting to grab the knife.

Video footage of the incident, captured by CCTV, went viral on social media and led to the arrest of Sanyangore and Kumunda. Ironically, Sanyangore had recently been convicted of assault and ordered to perform community service. The two bouncers argued that they had a constitutional right to be released on bail and claimed to have turned themselves in to the police. However, their submissions were rejected by the magistrate.