One more witness in Madiro case

The two allegedly stole 10 beasts meant for the 21st February Movement celebrations held in Mutare last year.

Provincial magistrate, Mrs Lucie-Anne Mungwari, deferred the case to May 29 after area public prosecutor, Ms Jane-Rose Matsikidze, told the court that her last witness, Superintendent Marodza, was not available.
He is the investigating officer.

She said he was hooked up in Bulawayo for the remainder of the week testifying in a fraud case there.
“My last witness is Superintendent Marodza who is not available today because he is testifying in a fraud case in Bulawayo. When he is done he will travel to Mutare to give evidence,” she said.

When the trial continued on Wednesday the State called a police officer who was part of the investigating team to testify. Lovemore Mahachi, a computer/radio operator stationed at the police’s provincial headquarters in Mutare, told the court that he discovered that minutes to the party’s provincial executive meeting had been doctored on February 11 this year.

Defence lawyer, Mr Tinofara Hove of TK Hove law firm, disputed his evidence saying what he was now saying in court was different from what he wrote in his report which he signed for. Mahachi said he made a mistake and typed 11 January as the date when the minutes were modified instead of 11 February.

“It was a typing error but we can go back to the computer and check the dates,” he said.
At this point Ms Matsikidze made an application for an inspection in loco for the court to go to the Zanu-PF offices and inspect the said computers.

Mr Hove objected saying this was not possible because the computers were not secured and there were possibilities of date stamping on the machines.
Mrs Mungwari dismissed the application saying it was unnecessary, adding that the computers should have been secured and kept as exhibits in the first place.