Mafume denied bail

Prosper Dembedza Court Correspondent

Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume has been denied bail on his new charge of obstruction of justice, or alternatively contempt of court, after he allegedly interfered with a key witness in his original charge of criminal abuse of office arising from allegations of improperly influencing the allocation of two housing stands.

He was granted bail by the High Court on that original charge, but one condition was that he should not interfere with witnesses. The State now alleges he did precisely that in a conversation with witness Edgar Dzehonye, hence the new charges.

In his ruling rejecting the new bail application, Harare magistrate Mr Ngoni Nduna found no condition was going to deter Mafume from interfering with witnesses. The magistrate ruled that the only way to avoid that was to keep Mafume in custody. But he rejected State arguments that bail should also be refused on the second ground that Mafume could abscond, saying there were no reasonable grounds to suppose that was likely.

Mr Nduna said for bail to be denied, compelling reasons must be established and since no reasonable grounds given by the State or the police showing that Mafume was likely to abscond if granted bail, he would not consider that argument. But he agreed that the risk of interference with witnesses was high enough to deny bail.

The State alleges that the thrust of a conversation between Mafume and Mr Dzehonye was to influence the witnesses to testify in favour of Mafume and that since Mafume was a lawyer he should have taken an intended client to his office to do business.

Mr Nduna agreed that Mafume had spoken with a witness in a manner as alleged by the state.

In opposing bail, the State led by Mrs Constance Ngombengombe and Mrs Kudzai Chigwedere yesterday said the accused was likely to interfere with witnesses and abscond trial.

Mr Nduna remanded Mafume in custody to January 28 2021. Under the original charge, it is alleged that in March this year, Mafume allegedly used his position as a councillor to press officials to allocate residential stands to his sister Rotina Mafume and to Rutendo Muvuti, a secretary at his law firm, although interviews for the stands had already been concluded and despite the fact that the two were not on the waiting list. It was alleged that the numbers given to them on the waiting list belonged to other people.