MWENEZI – Eleven Zanu PF wards youth chairpersons will rue the day they foolishly organised themselves and attempted to grab Mujingwe Conservancy after they were arrested last week and are now charged for destroying property worth $85 000.
Antony Hope (34), Noel Nsingo (35), Antony Zhou (28), Effort Zhou (21), Mercious Dhlamini (20), Reason Ncube (34), Abias Zhou (35), Roseman Gumbo (48), Tavonga Siziba (23), Alfios Zhou (22) and Edison Maranganya (45) under chiefs Mazetese and Maranda appeared before Mwenezi magistrate last week.
They were not formally charged last Friday when they appeared before magistrate Honest Musiiwa for the counts of malicious damage to property and deforestation.
They were all remanded in custody pending their bail application as their case was referred to Masvingo Provincial Magistrates Court.
Prosecutor, Patience Mutsikwi said the State will allege that between the period June I, 2017 to June 13, 2017, the accused allegedly connived to cut and destroy the fence and poles that is surrounding the Mujingwe Conservancy. They allegedly proceeded to clear a total of 9000 hectares of land by cutting and burning trees and grasses without authority. The value of property is US $ 85 000.local

Cephas Shava

MWENEZI – A 36-year-old passenger who was angered by the endless police roadblocks on the road threatened to commit suicide, labelled police officers thieves before disappearing with a pair of handcuffs, the Mwenezi Court heard last week.
Farirepi Nhongoviro of Mutoredzanwa village, Chief Nemauzhe in Chivi, pleaded not guilty on disorderly conduct and escaping from lawful custody charges when he appeared before magistrate Honest Musiiwa.
Nhongoviro said the police merely arrested him because he dared ask the driver of the car he was travelling in the nature of the offence he was being charged with.
He argued that he did not escape from custody, saying he went straight to the police camp after his arrest because the police officers who had handcuffed him wanted to keep him for the whole night at the roadblock as a way of fixing him.
However, one of the officers who was at the roadblock on the day in question, Brian Siyabonga told the court that Nhongoviro scolded him and his colleagues, calling them perennial thieves.
They also alleged that Nhongorivo threatened to cause a scene, blocked some motorists from freely moving and threatened to throw himself in front of moving cars.
The State’s case, as presented by prosecutor Willard Chasi was that on May 13, 2017 at the 166 km peg along Masvingo – Beitbridge highway, Nhongoviro was a passenger in a car that was stopped at a roadblock.
He allegedly engaged in riotous conduct by running around the road block shouting at police officers and disturbing the free movement of vehicles.
After being arrested at that roadblock, the handcuffed Nhongoviro allegedly ran away and disappeared into the darkness.
He was later spotted that same evening on his way to Mwenezi police station where he was arrested again.
The trial continues next month.local

ZVISHAVANE – A man who assaulted and stabbed a fellow reveler in a bottle store for trying to push him out as it was time to close the place was last week sentenced to two years imprisonment by magistrate Shepherd Mnjanja.
Abraham Sibanda was convicted on charges of assaulting Louis Pasvani over a misunderstanding at a bottle store in Muzvondiwa area.
Six months of Sibanda’s sentence were put aside on condition of good behavior, leaving him with 16 months of prison time to serve.
The court heard that the complainant and the accused were drinking beer at the bottle store before it was announced that the shop was now closing for the day and that it was time for all customers to leave.
The complainant arose from where he was sleeping and began to push customers out of the bar and that is when the misunderstanding broke out.
He went on to push Sibanda and slapped him on his back and the fight grew uglier when Sibanda pulled out an Okapi knife from his pocket and stabbed Pasvani once on the chest and six times on his left hand.
The accused was later arrested and the complainant showed the court where he was stabbed.
Monica Mungwena prosecuted.

Brighton Chiseva

ZAKA – The Rural District Council (RDC) last week backtracked on its decision to repossess what it claimed to be undeveloped stands at Jerera growth point after resident and business associations engaged the services of Mutendi, Mudisi and Shumba Legal Practitioners.
Few weeks ago, the RDC published a list of hundreds of residential and business stands which it said it would soon repossess because the owners had apparently for long failed to make any developments on them.
The decision by residents and businesses to rope in lawyers, however, has successfully stopped the local authority, cold in its tracks.
Zaka district administrator Victor Zinanga confirmed the development saying he was happy that the two parties managed to reach a consensus.
“The meeting was fruitful for the council and the residents and the business community managed to compromise,” said Zinanga
In the meeting, which took about two hours, the local authority represented by Rodney Makausi of Saratoga and Makausi, agreed to scrap the repossession plan and revisit the matter so as to shape a more amicable way forward.
The lawyers who represented the residents said they were happy that they had successfully managed to convince the local authority to stop its plan.
Council chief executive officer (CEO) David Majaura, however, said they had not succumbed to the pressure from the associations but they, instead, had already agreed to settle the matter with other residents before going to the lawyers.
“We had already met with most of the affected residents and we were not going to just repossess the stands as many people might think. We wanted the residents to come to deliberate and many residents did just that. However, with the lawyers we agreed to send the matter to the planning committee and probably wait for the full council meeting to be held next month,” Majaura said.
Other sources who attended the meeting said the council apologised to the residents for rushing to the press without informing all stakeholders.local