GOKWE – Chief Chireya has fallen out with one of his lieutenants, Farai Nembudziya, after he was swindled of goods valued at over $ 5 000 meant for traditional ceremonies.
The embattled chief, whose real name is Henry Chidzivo, has since taken the matter up with the courts. When the case was brought before Magistrate Amos Mbombo, it was stated that in July 2011, Chief Chireya instructed all his headmen to collect proceeds for the Zunde Ramambo, a traditional event, from villagers.
Headman Nembudziya collected cash amounting to $3 300 and 132 buckets of maize. However, he did not surrender the proceeds.
Chief Chireya tried to recover the goods but was unable to.
Mbombo sentenced Nembudziya to four months in prison. He also slapped him with another 20 months imprisonement term which was set aside on condition that the headman restitutes Chief Chireya $5 163 by November 30. – Brenna Matendere
Top lawyer drags wife to court
GWERU – Prominent human rights lawyer Reginald Chidawanyika has dragged his wife and young sister to court after they accused him of witchcraft and denied him access to his children.
Victoria Munengwa (39) and Chidawanyika’s sister, Tariro Chidawanyika, a student at the Midlands State University, appeared before Gweru magistrate, Kudakwashe Canady facing the charges.
Prosecutor Andrew Marimo told the court that on April 5 at a city hotel, Chidawanyika met the accused persons and asked his estranged wife to give him custody of their last born child as he wanted to take her for the holidays.
She refused and accused him of wanting to harm the child. The two were lucky to escape jail on the charges.
Magistrate Canady found Munengwa guilty on both charges and sentenced her to 1 month in prison but wholly suspended the jail term for five years. Chidawanyika’s sister was acquitted on both counts. – Brenna Matendere
Magistrate gets three years
GWERU – A Masvingo magistrate has been slapped with a suspended three-year jail term for abuse of office and corruption.
The accused, Tapera Bvudzijena (45), had served in the judicial service commission for 23 years.
Magistrate Sithembinkosi Msipa heard from prosecutor Takunda Chikwati that between December 2011 and May 2012, police arrested several people from South Africa and confiscated smuggled goods.
These included electrical gadgets, clothes and household items among others. The property was then kept at Mwenezi magistrates courts where Bvudzijena worked. The intention of keeping the items was to make them exhibits to be used in trying offenders who had smuggled them.
However, Bvudzijena then ordered clerk of court Piniel Muvhunzwi to forfeit the property and put it under auction. The court also heard that Bvudzijena became the major beneficiary of the feigned auction, which prompted investigations.
In his defence, Bvudzijena, who denied the charge, said he had ordered an auction in an attempt to motivate his fellow staff members whom he said had low morale due to poor salaries.
However, magistrate Msipa ruled that there was an element of greed in Bvudzijena’s conduct. One year of his jail sentence was suspended on condition of good behaviour while the other two were set aside on the basis that he would perform 810 hours of community service.
The case comes at a time when another judicial service official, Vincent Chikombe, who served as a prosecutor in Kwekwe is serving a four year jail term at Hwahwa prison after having been convicted on corruption related charges. – Brenna Matendere
Ex-wife assaults officer in court
GWERU – A police officer based at Mtapa police station was assaulted in the magistrate’s court by his pregnant ex-wife over a ruling on maintenance.
The woman, Highlife Kanjanda (23), had been incensed by a maintenance ruling which favoured her ex-husband, Wonder Gandalala, who is a policeman.
The two approached the courts over a misunderstanding on an issue in which Kanjanda wanted her maintenance fee to be raised from $140 to $200 a month.
However, Gandalala received a favourable ruling from magistrate Primrose Nyika who said no circumstances had changed to warrant an upward review of the maintenance fee.
That did not go down well with the pregnant woman who proceeded to beat up her ex-husband soon after the court sitting. Prison officers and other police officers had to come to Gandalala’s rescue.
Kanjanda was lucky to escape jail for the crime. The magistrate considered that she was five months pregnant before giving her a wholly suspended five-month prison term on condition of good behaviour.
“The sentence should be a strong warning to you,” said the magistrate with prosecutor Justos Mkwena acceding. – Brenna Matendere
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