710kg mbanje haul: Pair denies charge

THE trial of two Harare men allegedly found in possession of 30 bags of mbanje weighing 710kg with a street value of $51 000 in Damafalls commenced yesterday, with the pair denying the charge.

Alphonse Mushanawani and Brighton Dinda (both 28) were arrested on April 13.

The mbanje was allegedly found stashed in a Toyota Hiace belonging to Mushanawani.

It is the State’s case that after they were ambushed, Mushanawani who was driving the vehicle tried to flee - prompting the police detectives to fire warning shots forcing him to stop.

The pair appeared before magistrate Ms Estere Chivasa and tendered their defence outlines through their lawyers, Messrs Admire Rubaya and Oliver Marwa.

They are facing a charge of unlawfully dealing in dangerous drugs.

Prosecutor Mr Michael Reza called the first witness, Detective Sergeant Samuel Nhokwara, who narrated how the pair was arrested and found in possession of the dangerous drug.

In his defence, Mushanawani said Johannes Moyo and his friends hired his vehicle and were the ones who were arrested at the scene.

He said police arrested him at his house.

“These are the people who might have some explanations to the commission of the offence,” read part of Mushanawani’s defence. “The accused person will state that he was not arrested at the alleged scene, but at his house.”

“Conspiracy”

Mushanawani accused some police detectives of working in cahoots with his rivals in the transport business in a bid to bring him down.

“The State is challenged to avail call records of all the involved police officers to the court, accused is sure the cheap conspiracy will be exposed,” read his defence.

“The State is being used by the accused’s detractors who want to destroy his transport business. The alleged State informer has captured a clique of police officers that he feeds with false information.

“These are malicious, frivolous and vexatious allegations being peddled by the cabal of police officers and their informers.”

Dinda also denied the allegations.

It is alleged that police received a tip-off that the two were in possession of mbanje.

They drove to Damafalls where they allegedly intercepted Mushanawani and Dinda while they were driving along a dust road.

The pair was arrested and 30 bags of mbanje were recovered. A HARARE woman got married while she was already five months pregnant with another man’s child before killing the newly born baby in a bid to save the marriage, a court heard yesterday.

Grace Mukwena (23) of 2777 Domboramwari, Epworth, secretly gave birth in a toilet while her husband was sleeping and strangled the baby girl to death, it is alleged.

She initially appeared in court on Saturday facing infanticide charges and was remanded in custody to yesterday for bail ruling.

Mukwena was back in court yesterday and appeared before magistrate Ms Tilda Mazhande who granted her $50 bail.

As part of her bail conditions, she was ordered to report once a week to the police, not to interfere with witnesses and continue residing at the given address until finalisation of the matter.

She will be back in court on May 15.

It is the State’s case that Mukwena was impregnated by her then boyfriend Taurai Chidza, who lives in Mutare, before they parted ways when she was five months’ pregnant.

She later got married to Proud Tole.

In a bid to save her marriage, Mukwena, the court heard, did not disclose to her husband that she was already pregnant.

Four months into the marriage, on April 27 at around 3am, she went into labour while she was sleeping with her husband.

Mukwena quickly went out of the house and proceeded to the toilet on the pretext she wanted to relieve herself. Tole remained in bed. Prosecutor Ms Linda Gadzikwa alleged that Mukwena gave birth to a baby girl in the toilet and immediately strangled her to death.

Upon noticing that his wife had taken long to return from the toilet, Tole decided to check on her and went to the toilet.

He got the shock of his life when he saw his wife standing next to the lifeless body of a newly born child.

It is alleged that Tole rushed to their neighbour’s house and alerted them.

One of the female neighbours wrapped the body in a cloth and rushed to Epworth Polyclinic together with Mukwena.

The sister-in-charge at the clinic confirmed that the baby was dead.

The sister-in-charge then called the police after noticing that the baby had some bruises on the neck and was bleeding from the nose and mouth.