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Court Correspondent
Mary Mubaiwa’s trial on charges of attempting to kill Vice President Constantino Chiwenga by unplugging the hospital life support system and attempting to sneak him out of the ward continued yesterday, with the third security officer giving his testimony.
Mr Andrew Mugari, who was one of the security officers who accompanied Vice President Chiwenga to South Africa to seek medication in 2019, appeared before magistrate Ms Feresi Chakanyuka.
During cross-examination by Mubaiwa’s lawyer, Ms Beatrice Mtetwa, he said he saw VP Chiwenga at the door, going outside the hospital ward with Mubaiwa behind him.
Mr Mugari said he did not see who removed the tubes from the VP’s body and all he knew was that they were just the two, Mubaiwa and the VP in the ward, so they were the only ones who knew who removed the tubes. He helped VP Chiwenga back to his bed and called a nurse who came and reattached the tubes.
Mr Mugari said he saw some blood stains under Vice President’s bed and on the right side of the t-shirt that he was wearing.
Chronicling the events, Mr Mugari said he took the blood-stained t-shirt VP Chiwenga was wearing and was ordered by Mubaiwa to wash it.
“I did not show it to hospital staff,” he said. “If I did not wash it, this would have caused an incident.”
Mr Mugari managed to take a photograph of the stained t-shirt.
The trial continues on April 25.
Prosecutor Mr Ephraim Zinyandu asked for time to prepare for the re-examining of the witness since he was not the leading prosecutor when the trial commenced.
There was a little bit of misunderstanding between the State and Ms Mtetwa as the State was objecting to the manner in which she was questioning Mr Mugari.
When Ms Chakanyuka tried to intervene and bring the house to order, Ms Mtetwa asked Ms Chakanyuka not to interfere and the court had to adjourn for a while.
Online Reporter