'Chiwenga screamed for help'

VICE-PRESIDENT Constantino Chiwenga reportedly screamed for help when his former wife Marry Mubaiwa allegedly tried to pull out an intravenous life-saving tube at a South African hospital in 2018, Health and Child Care deputy minister John Mangwiro told the court yesterday.

Mangwiro said he rushed into the intensive care unit where Chiwenga was booked after he heard him screaming for help.

Mangwiro, who was Chiwenga's personal doctor, was testifying in Mubaiwa's trial for attempting to kill Chiwenga.

He also told the court that Mubaiwa tried all means to kill her ex-husband, saying he was forced to board another aircraft without his patient who needed care during the flight.

"When we arrived at Lanseria Airport in Pretoria (South Africa), the accused person delayed us for more than three hours at the airport where she had a misunderstanding with the immigration officials," Mangwiro said. "She told the immigration officials that her son was Chiwenga's biological son, but the documents bore other names. We waited for three hours as there was a stand-off."

He said the delay was unnecessary because Chiwenga needed urgent medical attention, adding that he was surprised when they were led to a hotel instead of NetCare Hospital, where he had booked for Chiwenga.

"We were supposed to go to NetCare Hospital as we had left Zimbabwe for that destination. To my disappointment, the then powerful accused directed us to Sheraton Hotel. It was a dangerous decision because it continued to endanger the life of the Vice-President.

"We then got to the basement of the hotel and we immediately confronted the accused to say the Vice-President needed life-saving hospitalisation rather than to come to a hotel.

"She responded to me saying the Vice-President needed to rest in the hotel. I continued to argue until Major (Blessing) Muringi joined, saying we needed to go to the hospital and I discovered that prior arrangements had already been made."

Mangwiro said Mubaiwa refused to book Chiwenga into hospital and he had to phone President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who advised them to convince her to have him admitted to hospital.

He also said Mubaiwa refused to take Chiwenga to the hospital the next morning. He said Muringi and Chiwenga's security staff pleaded with Mubaiwa to no avail, which led to him to call Dr Willi Leo Seiling to the hotel.

"At around 5pm on June 24, 2019, that is when we were allowed to take the Vice-President into the intensive care unit. She remained at the hotel and she did not accompany the complainant to the hospital.

"As a doctor when monitoring the patient to be told to leave the room you'll then ask yourself what she wanted to do? You'll start questioning the type of drugs the complainant is said to have taken," he said.

Mangwiro said Mubaiwa was accompanied by one Bruce, who was referred to as a medical doctor, but he later learnt that he was actually a veterinary surgeon.

Mangwiro said he reported the incident to Mnangagwa, leading to Chiwenga's transfer to China for further medical attention.

He told magistrate Feresi Chakanyuka that when they took Chiwenga to India in 2019 for medical attention, he quickly recovered, but surprisingly, became gravely ill after returning home.

Chakanyuka postponed the matter to September 7 for continuation of trial.