Source: Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
JUSTICE Chinembiri Bhunu on Tuesday 6 September 2016 convicted three MDC-T officials for the murder of a Zimbabwe Republic Police Inspector Petros Mutedzi.
Tungamirai Madzokere, Last Maengahama and Yvonne Musarurwa were convicted of murder with actual intent while Phineas Nhatarikwa, was found guilty of being an accessory to evade justice for ferrying the accused persons from the crime scene. The four were remanded in custody pending sentencing on Thursday 8 September 2016.
Lazarus Maengahama, Edwin Muingiri and Paul Rukanda were however acquitted.
The 7 were part of the 29 Glenview residents who were arrested in 2011 and charged with contravening section 47 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
The State claims that on 29 May 2011, the Glenview residents chanted MDC-T party slogans denouncing police officers while throwing stones and empty beer bottles at them and that their actions resulted in the death of Inspector Mutedza.
During the last hearing in 2014, the Glenview residents’ lawyers led by Beatrice Mtetwa presented the court with video evidence of one of the accused persons, Last Maengahama who was among congregants at United Family International Church on the day the crime was committed but the State prosecutor insisted that he was present at the scene of the crime.
The other 22 residents were discharged – found not guilty – at the close of the State case in 2013, while one of the MDC-T activist Rebecca Mafikeni succumbed to ill health while detained at Chikurubi Prison in Harare.
Source: Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights