dyton mupawaenda
A WITNESS has given a blow-by-blow account of the incident, which happened outside a Harare nightclub, leading to the arrest, on assault charges, of Club Zone nightclub boss Blessed “JB” Charakupa.
The businessman’s trial got underway in the capital last week.
The State, represented by Dzidzai Josiah, opened its case by leading evidence from one of the complainants, Obert Masvotore.
The State is alleging that on January 27, Masvotore and Tanaka Tamayi, were at a party at a nightclub with their friends and family.
Charakupa is accused of assaulting Masvotore and Tamayi.
Masvotore told the court that on the fateful day, he was out and about with his family at a party at Habhana Lounge.
He told the court that as they were leaving the club, his cousin Ronald had an altercation with one of Charakupa’s crew and a fight broke out.
Masvotore told the court that he tried to refrain his cousin from fighting Charakupa and his crew and they turned on him and he was severely assaulted.
Through his lawyer, Tsitsi Mazikana, Charakupa is arguing that it is a case of mistaken identity as he never assaulted the complainants and he doesn not know any of them.
He insists the allegations are false and the complainants — Obert Masvotore and his cousin Ronald Tamayi — allegedy connived against him and they were falsely implicating him.
He said on the day in question people were drunk and, in the early hours of the morning, there was commotion and fights outside the bar.
He told the court that the two were drunk and they could not recall what happened on the night in question and they are only accusing him because he is a prominent individual who owns a leading night club in Harare.
He allegedly hit Tamayi on the mouth with a fist while his accomplice opened the passenger door and hit him with a fist on the head.
The trial resumes on October 24 before magistrate Tadiwa Banda.
Online Reporter