Mliswa appears in court over theft charges

Former Zanu-PF Mashonaland West chairman and Hurungwe West independent candidate Temba Mliswa appeared at Chinhoyi Magistrates' Court facing theft and possession of firearms charges.

The owner of the firearms, Myles Walter Hall, told the court that the people who took "my farm house" are the same people who stole my firearms and unfortunately the accused was not among the people.

"The accused is not the one who took the firearms from the farm, but the people who forcibly took my farm house," Hall told the court on Thursday at the start of Mliswa's trial.

The former farmer said he knew the people who took the farm house and he reported the missing firearms at Mhangura Police Station. Hall was the then owner of Somerhill Farm where the firearms were stolen.

Mliswa is facing two counts of theft and possession of firearms.

Another State witness, officer-in-charge Law and Order Detective Inspector Neverson Kupfuma, told the court that at the time of his arrest, Mliswa was not in possession of the firearms and he was not near the fowl run when the firearms were found.