Gen Mujuru inquest opens

been found.
Gen Mujuru died in an inferno at his farm in Beatrice in August last year.
Vice-President Joice Mujuru and her two daughters yesterday attended the hearing together with relatives and friends.
She was concerned over the delay by the State to give her the documents relating to the investigation.
VP Mujuru told journalists after the adjournment that she had not been served with the documents presented to the inquest until yesterday afternoon.
“We now have the papers, we still have time to look at the papers, we still have time to talk and give our input,” she said.
VP Mujuru described the inquest, which began before provincial magistrate Mr Walter Chikwanha, as a good start.
“It was a good beginning, but in between the period of the inquest, I was called by His Excellency the President (Cde Mugabe) since I am at work and then I came back later. Therefore some of the witnesses had already finished their business. It’s going on very well. I am sure the truth will come out,” she said.
The family lawyer, Mr Takor Kewada of Scanlen and Holderness, who is holding a watching brief, said the family had none of the documents presented to the inquest until lunch hour yesterday, apart from a letter that was from the police on the statement recorded from VP Mujuru.
“That statement was . . . incorrect, not factual. When I have a watching brief I make notes and report to my client. However, the court said relatives can ask questions, that’s why I had to grill the witnesses though totally unprepared,” said Mr Kewada.
He said he was in a difficult situation.
“It’s like putting me in a boxing ring with my hands tied on my back. My client has not seen some of the statements,” he said.
Mr Kewada said they were co-operating with the police and everybody involved in the inquest.
“We are not here to score points but to get to the bottom of the matter,” said Mr Kewada.
“My client wants to know what transpired to her husband. There is a lot of suspicion in the minds of the public because he (Gen Mujuru) was a seasoned fighter, who had lived in the bush, who could escape in such situations.” The State produced the State exhibits, which included a post-mortem report by a pathologist, a fire brigade report, a Zesa report and a report by the ZRP forensic department.
The State also submitted three reports by South African forensic experts.
According to Mrs Sharon Fero, who was presenting the State information, Zesa said that the fire was not caused by an electrical fault. Zesa officials said there was no evidence showing that the electrical systems in the house were not properly working before the inferno.
She said on September 10 last year, South African forensic experts who came to investigate took samples of debris, the curtains, and the general’s skin and remains, for examination.
On October 12 the South African experts ruled that no flammable liquid or explosives were used.
She then produced reports as exhibits.
First to give evidence was the late Gen Mujuru’s driver, Enock Talapenzi.
He told the court that he had been driving the general since 2002.
On the day of the fire, Talapenzi said he saw the late general at his Chisipite home and carried out errands in town.
Talapenzi said his wife called him around 2.50am saying she was trying to call VP Mujuru but no one was responding.
Talapenzi said his wife informed him that the main house at Ruzambo Farm (Gen Mujuru’s Farm) was on fire.
He called one of the workers at the Vice President’s Chisipite home, who gave her the phone and he passed on the message.
They drove to the farm in Beatrice with the Vice President and found the house still burning.
Ms Portia Kamvura, a bar lady at Beatrice Motel, in her testimony, said on August 15 Gen Mujuru arrived at the bar around 5pm.
He parked his vehicle at his usual spot. “He ordered two tots of Black Label whisky and soda water before ordering a Pilsner for another patron present,” she said.
Ms Kamvura said the general, who came alone, requested two more tots, and intimated that he did not intend to drink much beer because he had a journey the following morning.
“I overheard him say he wanted to pass through Beitbridge and around 7pm he bade farewell. As he was leaving Mr (Blessing) Madzivire, Mr Nyakungu and I accompanied him out,” she said.
She said the general paid her $23 for the whisky and the Pilsner.
Ms Kamvura said the general was not drunk when he left the motel alone.
Gen Mujuru’s nephew, Mr Antony Mujuru, who was in the gallery, asked the bar lady if she noticed the vehicle he was driving and she said it was a white Isuzu double-cab truck. The police report confirmed this.
Gen Mujuru’s elder brother, Joel, asked the time the other patrons left the bar and she said: “They remained in the bar for quite some time and they left one by one.”
She said she was familiar with all the patrons that night as they were regulars and she did not suspect any of them.
Mr Madzivire, a farmer in the area, said on August 15 he drank with the general and there were no new faces in the bar.
He said everyone was jovial in the bar and Gen Mujuru left around 5:20pm.
He said he accompanied the general to his car with Mr Nyakungu from Zesa and the bar lady.
Mr James Mushore, the late general’s nephew, asked if there was electricity at the motel, and was told there was not.
Mr Madzivire said he left before power was restored.
Another nephew, Mudiwa Mundawarara, asked if there was power when he got to his farm and he answered: “Not immediately on my arrival but at least five minutes later around 8:55pm”.
The fourth witness, Tongai Chimuka of Blackstone Farm, said Gen Mujuru was their family friend since 1990 although he had known him for five to six years.
He said when he got to Beatrice Motel he saw the general sitting at his “usual place” and he was in a jovial mood.
Mr Chimuka left the motel around 9pm to 10pm.
He said the general was not drunk when he left.
The fifth witness was Clemence Runhare, a security guard who was manning one of the farm’s main gates on his own.
He said Gen Mujuru arrived at the farm around 8:05pm and he opened the gate for him.
“Before I opened the gate, I saw that he was in the company of another person. I did not identify who the other person was because we got information to the effect that his other driver had gone to Harare so I assumed it was him,” he said.
He said after five minutes he saw the vehicle lights going towards Gen Mujuru’s shop and he did not see it return.
He said around midnight he heard some noise like “exploding bullets from the direction of the main farmhouse”.
He said later another farm guard came to him and told him that there was fire at Gen Mujuru’s house.
They investigated and upon arrival they saw two policemen from the Support Unit and one of them said they did not know where the “boss'” bedroom was.
“The police told me they did not call the fire brigade as they said they did not have a cellphone. They also said the police radio had broken down,” he said.
One of the employees found Gen Mujuru’s phone in his car and the maid called the Vice President.
After the fire had been put out some high-ranking officials from Beatrice Police pointed at the remains of Gen Mujuru whose corpse was near a door leading to the dining room.
Asked by Mrs Fero the identity of the other person in the car, he said he did not check because he assumed it was the driver.
He said the general did not appear drunk.
Magistrate Chikwanha asked if they had gone to the main house to investigate what was going on when they heard the noise and Runhare said he did not because they were not allowed to go to the main house.
He said at the time he thought the sound of gunshots was from a poacher.