Man fined for assaulting Deputy Minister

A MAN from Harare who assaulted the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Tongai Mnangagwa and his host at a party, Wellington Vengesai, following a misunderstanding over parking space last week, was yesterday fined US$200 (or two months in jail).

Munyaradzi Antony Mwedziwendira (30) was convicted on his own plea of guilty to assault when he appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Appollonia Marutya.

But after his arrest on the assault charge, police had already received a report that besides being involved in a brawl, Mwedziwendira was allegedly dealing in illegal drugs, so they did a double investigation.

So although the sentence in the assault case was only a modest fine, he did not go free and was remanded in custody to today for his bail hearing on three other charges of dealing in dangerous drugs, where he is jointly charged with his employee, Jasper Cephas Kuziva.

Prosecutor Mr Thomas Chanakira said last Tuesday at around 10:15pm, Deputy Minister Mnangagwa and Handson Gapa walked out of Vengesai’s apartment at Trude Mansions on the corner of Sixth Street and Leonid Brezhnev (formerly Fife) Avenue in Harare after a party.

On the way to the parking lot, Vengesai came across Mwedziwendira who was talking on top of his voice complaining that Vengesai and his friends had parked their vehicles in a way that blocked his motor vehicles.

Mwedziwendira charged towards Deputy Minister Mnangagwa whom he held by the collar before turning and charging towards Vengesai. Mwedziwendira held Mr Vengesai by his beard using both his hands and asked him why he had not shaved. He went on to threaten to shoot the two but did not produce any firearm.

Mwedziwendira was restrained by Mr Gapa before he drove off at high speed.

Mwedziwendira and Kuziva are facing three counts of unlawful possession of mbanje, unlawful possession of unspecified medicines, and unlawful possession of unregistered medicines for resale.

Mr Chanakira said police received a report that Mwedziwendira and Kuziva were dealing in dangerous drugs at Fife Avenue shopping centre and that they had been involved in a brawl with some members of the public.

Detectives went to the shopping centre where the two fled, leaving behind four vehicles.

The vehicles were then placed under 24-hour police guard pending the arrest of the two. On Wednesday at around midday, the two accused persons were arrested and Kuziva was found in possession of the car keys.

Police searched the vehicles, a silver BMW 530I, a red VW, a Mercedes Benz C240, and another silver Mercedes Benz C220 and recovered two sachets of mbanje and a passport in the name of Antony Mwedziwendira from the Mercedes Benz C220.

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