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Violence, recrimination and arrests after policeman's death in Glen View - Index of articles
State witnesses fail to identify informants
Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC)
September
26, 2012
Two police officers who were called today to testify
as State witnesses in the High Court murder trial in which 29 MDC
members are being falsely
charged with murder, failed to name their informants involved
in the arrest of the accused persons.
Timothy Guta,
who arrested Solomon Madzore, the MDC Youth Assembly chairperson
on 4 October 2011, told the court that after some informants had
informed the police that Madzore was part of the group that was
in Glen View when Inspector Petros Mutedza died.
Guta said he
did not know if Madzore was in Glen View on the date the offence
was committed but was only working on assumptions made by the informants.
Asked to name the informants, Guta said he could not do so as they
were only known by the investigating officer, Detective Inspector
Clever Ntini. Ntini is yet to testify in court.
Guta's response
led to a query by the defence lawyer, Alec Muchadehama as to why
the informants were "nameless and faceless" yet they
were heavily relying on their information.
The police however
failed to make a follow up on Madzore's alibi, which states
that on the day in question he had visited the MDC Harare Youth
Assembly chairperson, Shakespeare Mukoyi who was unwell after he
was assaulted by the police.
Later in the
day on 29 May 2011, Madzore accompanied his wife to the doctor as
she was also not feeling well.
Another witness
called in after Guta, Obert Maida who was in May Last year heading
the CID Homicide Section at Harare Central failed to recall the
names of the police officers who accompanied him to make arrests
or to name the people who were arrested during the raids.
Maida is now
a Detective Chief Inspector with CID Homicide based at the Police
Headquarters.
The situation
in today's trial was made worse by Edmore Nyazamba, the State
prosecutor who failed to submit statements made by the State witnesses
before the trial to the defence lawyers. Nyazamba said the non-submission
of the statements to the defence was an oversight and promised to
submit the statements when the trial resumed after lunch.
However, the
trial failed to kick off in the afternoon after Nyazamba said he
could not locate the statements.
The MDC has
continued to maintain that the 29 accused persons are innocent and
their lengthy incarceration is persecution and not prosecution.
They have been in remand prison for 16 months.
On Tuesday,
the defence registered a formal protest with the trial judge, Justice
Chinembiri Bhunu against Nyazamba for engaging in delaying tactics.
Justice Bhunu said he was wondering why Nyazamba was always late
for court.
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