Gold Miner Accuses Court Officials Of Failing Justice
23 May 2021
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A GOLD miner, who was attacked and robbed by armed robbers in December last 2018, has approached Prosecutor-General Kumbirai Hodzi for the second time accusing court officials of failing to bring the matter to trial three years on.

In a letter of complaint dated May 18, addressed to the PG, Madzivanzira through his lawyer Blessing Zihanzu, said he was shocked that the State failed to handle the trial despite having ample time to do so.

“According to the investigating officer Detective Saurove of CID Homicide, Harare, the trial date was provided on March 4, 2021. What it entails is that the State had two months to prepare for the trial,” Zihanzu said.

He said a co-accused, Valentine Mutasa, from whom the complainant’s pistol was recovered, was not even served with the summons to attend trial.

In January this year, Madzivanzira wrote his first letter demanding trial date for the matter.

“It appears there is deliberate ploy by the officers involved in this matter to give the accused persons the opportunity to be granted bail or to be removed from remand so that they will never have their day in court in respect of our client’s case.”

According to court papers, on December 22, 2018, at around 8pm, Madzivanzira and family arrived home in Ruwa from his mine in Mutoko. After entering the gate, about seven men approached him, produced a rifle and two pistols demanding gold and cash.

The accused ransacked his vehicle, took away two buttons of gold weighing 589,58g, US$1 517, seven cellphones and a pistol.

The robbers threatened to rape Madzivanzira’s daughter demanding to be led to the cash vault. They also destroyed the family’s CCTV camera system, alarms and deflated tyres of the family’s vehicles.

A report was made at Ruwa Police Station under CR 189/12/18.

On January 15, 2019, detectives arrested some of the suspects, leading to the recovery of the pistol which Madzivanzira positively identified as his.

The suspects were identified as George Machanyangwa (37), Crispen Matiyenga (32), Valentine Mutasa (28), Solomon Nyamukondiwa (32) and Moydne Nyambuya (34). The value of stolen goods was pegged at US$37 109, 36 and only the firearm was recovered.

-Newsday