adminYeukai Karengezeka Court Correspondent
Chitungwiza Ward 3 councillor John Matiyenga has been acquitted of kidnapping and assaulting a fellow member of his political party after a full trial.
He appeared before Chitungwiza resident magistrate Ms Feresi Chakanyuka facing kidnapping charges.
Ms Chakanyuka said from the facts presented before the court, it was established that the complainant Dalgish Muti and Matiyenga knew each other and that he entered into Matiyenga’s car willingly.
She added that Muti, who alleged that he was assaulted before a crowd, failed to bring a single witness to the court to testify and Matiyenga brought in a witness to support his narration of what transpired on the day in question. The prosecutor Mr Norman Koropi had alleged that on May 3, at around 11am, Matiyenga went to Zengeza to pick up Muti disguising that he wanted company to meet a certain girl called Ayama who stays in St Mary’s.
Along the way, Matiyenga suddenly diverted from the route and Muti asked him to drop him off, but the councillor refused insisting that he had a task.
Despite Muti begging him to stop, Matiyenga supposedly sped off and dumped him in Unit N at a base with about 20 people Muti failed to identify. At the base, Matiyenga upon disembarking from the car assaulted him with open hands for allegedly insulting him on a WhatsApp group.
Online Reporter