adminthe assailants.
They all indicated that they only noticed that they were wearing red and white T-shirts and that there were many other ordinary people, making it difficult to recognise the faces.
Mr Cleopas Chikwira, who was the first to give evidence before Justice Chinembiri Bhunu said he only saw stones coming from different directions but he was not in a position to pinpoint the real murderer.
He said he was not able to count the number of people involved in the violence save to say that they were wearing red and white T-shirts and he believed they were MDC-T members.
“I cannot tell who threw the stones and I cannot identify any among the accused persons.
“I only saw the stones coming from different directions and the deceased fell down 58 metres away from where I was.
“He was hit on the head. I did not manage to see which person had thrown the stone because there was quite a number of people.
“At the scene there were people dressed in red and white, vendors, car washers and many other ordinary people,” he said.
A policeman based at Mabelreign Dog Section, who was at Chirandu Bar some metres away from Munyarari Bar where the violence broke out, Mr Joshua Daka told the court that he heard noise coming from the bar before rushing to investigate.
Mr Daka said he only saw the backs of the assailants who were wearing red and white T-shirts inscribed “Yes or No” and he did not recognise them neither was he in a position to identify them.
According to Mr Daka, the late Inspector Mutedza ran for his life with the assailants in hot pursuit.
“I saw the deceased running towards 11th Avenue and stones were being thrown at him.
“When he got to a parked Nissan Hardbody vehicle, he attempted to jump in but the truck sped off when one of his legs was already inside.
“That caused him to fall down on his head. He fell on the tarmac,” said Mr Daka.
Mr Daka said the stones were coming from the people wearing red and white who were coming from Munyarari Bar.
“After the vehicle drove off, the people in red and white started kicking him and stepping on him as he lied on the tarmac.
“I could not count the number of the people who attacked him and I did not identify any of them because I was only seeing them from the back.
“When the people dispersed we removed Inspector Mutedza from the road and rendered first aid before he was taken to hospital,” said Mr Daka.
During cross-examination by defence lawyer Mrs Beatrice Mtetwa, Mr Daka told the court that Insp Mutedza fell down with a thud when the vehicle sped off and that the injuries could be a result of that fall.
The third witness Sergeant Judith Mutsigwa who was the driving truck carrying the police reaction group said her team was called to deal with a group of people that was convening an illegal meeting.
“We drove to Glen View Police where we were joined by Insp Mutedza and other officers. We went to Glen View 4 where the meeting was and upon arrival we were informed that the people had dispersed.
“We then went to the shops where we saw people dressed in red and white T-shirts. Police officers including Insp Mutedza disembarked and I remained in the truck.
“A police officer came to me saying other police officers had been injured and I made a U-turn and went to the scene.
“I saw stones being thrown towards us and upon arrival I observed Insp Mutedza lying on the ground bleeding. His head was swollen and his communicating radio had been damaged.
“We were helped by some people to carry him to the truck and we rushed him to hospital where he was pronounced dead,” she said.
Sgt Mutsigwa said she did not recognise the faces of the assailants because everything happened while she was in the truck.
“I did not see what happened in the bar and at the back of the bar. I cannot tell who Insp Mutedza interacted with in the bar and at the back of the bar,” she said.
During cross-examination, Mrs Mtetwa said the State’s case was riddled with inconsistencies citing some differences in each of the three’s testimonies.
The trial continues today with more witnesses testifying.
Online Reporter