Judge's fatal romp: Family blocks probe

RELATIVES of a Bindura businesswoman who died on Tuesday night, minutes after being "intimate" with a top High Court judge, have blocked the police from carrying out investigations into the case.

Gladys Farai Mangwiro (55) was at her home along Hay Street in Bindura with Justice Charles Hungwe when the incident occurred between 7pm and 8pm.

According to a report made to the police, the two had a long standing affair.

Mangwiro, who owned Mayfair Lodge, was found lying dead on the floor in her bedroom without her pants, bra and blouse while an inhaler for treating asthma was beside the body.

It is alleged that when Justice Hungwe discovered that Mangwiro was not feeling well, he rushed to the police station and later to Bindura Provincial Hospital.

He left Mangwiro alone in the bedroom after the asthma attack.

In a bid to block further probe on the matter, sources close to the investigations said Mangwiro's son Kudzanai Kujenga (31), who is representing the family, yesterday deposed an affidavit for post-mortem not to be conducted.

"One of her children Kudzanai Kujenga submitted an affidavit today (yesterday) morning declaring that they have agreed as a family for post-mortem not to be conducted since they believe that there is no foul play and that she was asthmatic," said a source.

It is reported that the family was yesterday making efforts to collect the body from a funeral parlour in the town for burial today. Post-mortem was not conducted.

Police sources said on Tuesday night, the judge was being intimate with Mangwiro when he later discovered that she was not feeling well.

It is alleged that he drove to the police station to look for phone numbers to contact an ambulance.

When he failed to get through, he reportedly drove to the hospital where he was then accompanied by an ambulance crew, but when they arrived, Mangwiro had died.

Justice Hungwe then drove back to the police station where he informed the officers about the new developments.

Police went to the scene and the relatives reportedly diverted the body to a mortuary of a private funeral parlour instead of a Government hospital.

Officers at Bindura Central Police Station had treated the matter as sudden death but due to the circumstances surrounding the case, it had to be transferred to the Criminal Investigations Department in the town.

The CID had been tasked to ascertain the cause of the death and to make further inquiries.

"They were tasked to ascertain the cause of death since the circumstances were not clear. Firstly it was noted that the judge had a car parked outside but did not use it to ferry the now deceased to the hospital, instead he rushed to look for an ambulance," a police source said.

He said that it was also not clear why the relatives had to intervene and block the police from carrying out investigations.

The police would have to close down the case since the relatives do not want any investigations to be conducted.

Some of the neighbours interviewed yesterday said they had only heard that Mangwiro was in the company of a man they could not identify.

Other relatives said they knew that Mangwiro had been suffering from high blood pressure (HBP), asthma and diabetes.