HARARE - Temba Mliswa's judgement in a case he is accused of making threatening phone calls to a white businessman he wanted to grab his business from was deferred at the Rotten Row Magistrates Court yesterday.Mliswa is being charged with contravening sections of the Telecommunications and Postal Act. Mliswa, a black empowerment activist well connected in the Zanu PF aristocracy, allegedly threatened director of Noshio Motors, Paul Westwood with death over the phone after declaring that he was the new director in his company.
Harare magistrate Morgen Nemadire deferred the judgement to May 27 saying the strike by judicial officers had delayed the compilation of his verdict. The State case is that on December 18, 2009, Mliswa and Nigel Godknows Murambwa arrived at the company premises and declared that he was the new owner.
He said Westwood and Hammarskjold Banda, who held a 50 percent stake in the company, must accept black shareholders in line with government’s indigenisation programme. Mliswa declared that he was taking up 51 percent of the company. Westwood, who was at the company premises, tried to resist this, and Mliswa threatened him with death. The State says he told Westwood he would never see his family again and then went on to tell workers he was now in charge. It is also alleged that Mliswa sent threatening text messages to the complainant.
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