The unknown political party leader Mr. Owen Kuchata the government claims wanted to bomb President Robert Mugabe’s dairy business premises, is being sentenced a few hours’ time.
The State claims Kuchata (34) attempted to bomb President Robert Mugabe’s dairy farm in Mazowe while carrying with him a number party materials, details that have raised eyebrows with former Army Captain Albert Matapo once jailed under similar charges, told ZimEye: “This case is not credible. Who in this country would go to bomb the President while carrying party materials?,” he said.
To add flames to the controversy, Kuchata’s party, the Zimbabwe People’s Front, has remained mystic amid revelations that it is a just surrogate shelf organisation set up by ZANU PF to shore up against real opposition parties.
But the State has maintained its case and Kuchata will be sentenced today after he changed his plea of not guilty to guilty.
The charge is that of terrorism.
On Friday last week, the man told regional magistrate Mr Hoseah Mujaya he was pleading guilty to wanting to petrol bomb the First Family’s dairy.
He said it was his idea to commit the offence.
Kuchata later changed from the charge of terrorism pleading not guilty after arguing that Alpha Omega Dairy was not a Government property, but President Mugabe’s private property.
Prosecutor Mr Michael Reza maintained that terrorism charges were appropriate, saying the attack was not targeted at the dairy as an outfit, but at the office of the Presidency of Zimbabwe.