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Prophet Magaya 'death threats' bodyguard acquitted
08 Jun 2019 at 07:52hrs | Views
Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries leader Prophet Walter Magaya's personal bodyguard James Dzamu was yesterday acquitted of making death threats to a popular actress, Charity Dhlodhlo.
Dzamu was accused of threatening to kill Dhlodhlo, who was reportedly revealing sordid details about Magaya's business and private life. However, Mbare magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje cleared him of any wrongdoing at the end of the prosecution's case.
The court found that Dhlodhlo's evidence was not credible enough and that it was riddled with inconsistencies.
To that end, the court held that the State had failed to prove its case.
According to the magistrate, Dhlodhlo failed to state the exact words that the prosecution deemed threatening. Instead, she gave three different versions before she made a concession that she had forgotten the exact statement.
"What the complainant did was to reconstruct her own statements and this distorts the exact words that were uttered on the day in question," said Mr Mambanje.
He said Dhlodhlo's statement does not require a professor in languages to prove they are indeed different. Mr Mambanje blasted Dhlodhlo for taking the court for a ride by exhibiting her theatrical skills. She would weep and make noise in a bid to draw the court's sympathy.
The magistrate said the case was just like any other cases, hence the decision by Dhlodhlo to report it to the President's Office was unwarranted.
Dzamu's lawyers Messrs Everson Macharaga and Stephen Chikotora had applied for the discharge of their client at the close of the State's case arguing that there was no evidence linking him to the offence. The lawyers told the court that the facts which the State was relying on did not constitute an offence.
It was the State's case that on December 12, 2018 Dhlodhlo, who appeared in Studio 263 as Mai Madziva, arrived at her Waterfalls home only to find Dzamu waiting for her. Dzamu approached Dhlodhlo and issued the chilling death threats.
"Charity if you want to die keep on doing what you are doing talking about Magaya," he reportedly said.
The court heard that after uttering these threats, Dzamu left and Dhlodhlo proceeded to Waterfalls Police Station and reported the matter.
Dzamu was accused of threatening to kill Dhlodhlo, who was reportedly revealing sordid details about Magaya's business and private life. However, Mbare magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje cleared him of any wrongdoing at the end of the prosecution's case.
The court found that Dhlodhlo's evidence was not credible enough and that it was riddled with inconsistencies.
To that end, the court held that the State had failed to prove its case.
According to the magistrate, Dhlodhlo failed to state the exact words that the prosecution deemed threatening. Instead, she gave three different versions before she made a concession that she had forgotten the exact statement.
"What the complainant did was to reconstruct her own statements and this distorts the exact words that were uttered on the day in question," said Mr Mambanje.
He said Dhlodhlo's statement does not require a professor in languages to prove they are indeed different. Mr Mambanje blasted Dhlodhlo for taking the court for a ride by exhibiting her theatrical skills. She would weep and make noise in a bid to draw the court's sympathy.
The magistrate said the case was just like any other cases, hence the decision by Dhlodhlo to report it to the President's Office was unwarranted.
Dzamu's lawyers Messrs Everson Macharaga and Stephen Chikotora had applied for the discharge of their client at the close of the State's case arguing that there was no evidence linking him to the offence. The lawyers told the court that the facts which the State was relying on did not constitute an offence.
It was the State's case that on December 12, 2018 Dhlodhlo, who appeared in Studio 263 as Mai Madziva, arrived at her Waterfalls home only to find Dzamu waiting for her. Dzamu approached Dhlodhlo and issued the chilling death threats.
"Charity if you want to die keep on doing what you are doing talking about Magaya," he reportedly said.
The court heard that after uttering these threats, Dzamu left and Dhlodhlo proceeded to Waterfalls Police Station and reported the matter.
Source - the herald
