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Mabika is denying stealing six donated dairy bull calves, claiming that they died owing to starvation.
She appeared before Mutare magistrate Ms Sekesayi Chiundura, with Mrs Christine Tsungayi-Nyamaropa prosecuting. Cde Mutasa was speaking while disputing assertions by defence lawyer Mr
Tinofara Hove of TK Hove and Associates that Mabika was a victim of power struggles in Zanu-PF in Manicaland.
“There are power struggles yes and she must have known that if elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. Iye ngarege kuendapo. Anofanira kungwarawo (Mabika should not have been caught up in the fight),” said Cde Mutasa.
“The truth is that the accused stole the cattle in question. There was nothing of this sort before it emerged that she had stolen the cattle. Zanu-PF is the complainant in this matter, and that is why I am here testifying.”
Mr Hove said the charges against Mabika were political as they were laid just before the elections.
“I put it to you that no offence was ever committed and that is the reason why these charges were raised at a time when elections are near. The accused exemplifies the grass that is suffering as the bulls fight,” said Mr Hove.
Cde Mutasa replied: “So you are saying court officials who are presiding over her trial and the police who were involved in the investigations are insane and are wasting time over a case that was never committed?
“Well, that is your opinion. The police were instructed by the President himself to investigate the matter because there were strong suspicions that an offence had been committed.”
Mr David Jacob Jourbert, who donated the calves, said they were still too young and chances were high that they could have died in the absence of supplementary and proper care.
“I requested my manager Philemon Maphosa to release six small, little dairy bulls out of the specially designed cages where they were being fed to Mabika’s Shiriyakangwara Farm as a donation to the party,” he said.
“I was never told that the calves have died. The calves were very small. They had to be fed because they would die quickly as they were out of the cages where they were being fed with supplementary feeds and milk.”
Mr Maphosa said he delivered the calves as Mr Joubert’s manager, but Mabika was not present at the farm when he arrived with the animals.
“I just dropped off the calves without supplementary feeds or crash course on how they were supposed to be managed,” he said.
“I have 20 years experience and I cannot dispute the fact that in the absence of the necessary feeds and proper care the animals could have died. The calves had not been weaned.”
Mabika, who is also facing another case of stock theft together with suspended provincial chairperson Mike Madiro and another case of trying to defeat the course of justice, allegedly received six dairy bull calves from Mr Jourbert on behalf of Zanu-PF, but never surrendered the cattle to the party.
The State alleged that instead of handing over the calves to the party, she kept them for her own use.
Mabika allegedly doctored minutes of the party’s provincial executive meeting to reflect that the six donated cattle had died due to lack of stock feed.
Online Reporter