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Pamela Shumba Senior Reporter
MDC-T president Morgan Tsvangirai ordered the seizure of the party’s properties and assets that are in the hands of the renewal team led by Tendai Biti, a court in Bulawayo heard yesterday.A lawyer representing Witness Dube, a driver to MDC-T vice president Thokozani Khupe, made the sensational claims as the fall out in the opposition party deepens.
Dube, 37, and six other MDC-T members aligned to Tsvangirai who are still on the run, are facing robbery and theft charges after they allegedly hijacked a vehicle belonging to Matabeleland North provincial chairman Sengezo Tshabangu, who is alleged to be aligned to Biti’s faction.
Dube and his accomplices allegedly also took away cash and cellphones from Tshabangu’s driver Zaccaria Nkomo and two others.
The seized car is valued at $30,350 while a Blackberry and a Nokia 1202 cellphone and cash were all valued at $300.
Yesterday, the court was packed as party members from both factions followed proceedings in a matter in which magistrate Sibongile Msipa is expected to make a ruling on Dube’s bail application today.
Dube’s lawyer Tanaka Muganyi told the court that Khupe’s driver was acting on Tsvangirai’s instructions.
He added that the driver was a good candidate for bail, adding that the court was being used to settle the MDC-T’s internal squabbles.
“My client had authority from Tsvangirai to possess the party property including the vehicle in question. The authority shows there are misunderstandings in the party and the court should not be used as a vehicle in perpetuating these internal disputes,” said Muganyi.
The court broke into laughter when the investigating officer Detective Sergeant Patrice Nyamanhete, mentioned that MDC-T spokesperson, Douglas Mwonzora, a lawyer by profession, produced an expired practising certificate after claiming that he was representing Dube.
Sgt Nyamanhete opposed the granting of bail, saying Dube only came to the police station after Mwonzora was told that he was not facing a serious charge.
He said he went to Dube’s residence in Gwabalanda and his workplace and also phoned him to ask him to report to the police to assist with investigations, but he failed to avail himself. “Dube reported to the police station three days after we started looking for him. This was after Mwonzora came to our offices claiming to represent him and produced an expired practising certificate.
“I had to tell Mwonzora that it was a simple assault charge in order to lure Dube to the police station,” he said.
Prosecutors say Dube and six other party members pounced on Nkomo along Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Street and assaulted him before taking away the vehicle.
Prosecuting, Danmore Kasenza said: “On May 25, 2014, Zaccaria Nkomo was in the company of Lameck Ndlovu and Sage Mguni in an Isuzu pick up truck. They parked waiting to collect money from a Sibanda on behalf of Tshabangu. Sibanda came and gave the three the money and left.
“Two cars immediately blocked Ndlovu’s car and Dube, who was in the company of six other people who are still at large, pulled Ndlovu out of the car and started assaulting him with fists and booted feet all over his body.”
Online Reporter