Chiwenga's ex-wife applies for removal from remand

Mary Mubaiwa, the former wife of Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, has applied for refusal of further remand in a case in which she is accused of attempting to kill him at a South African hospital in 2019.

Through her lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, Mubaiwa argued that keeping her on remand for nearly seven years without the trial being concluded amounted to a miscarriage of justice.

The State, represented by Lancelot Mutsokoti, opposed the application, saying it was still locating witnesses and re-issuing summonses to enable the trial to restart before a new magistrate.

Regional magistrate Musaiona Shotgame postponed the matter to October 23 for a ruling on Mubaiwa's application.

The case has faced repeated delays, with the latest disruption following the elevation of former presiding magistrate Feresi Chakanyuka to the High Court bench.

Chiwenga was expected to testify after personal doctor and former Deputy Health Minister John Mangwiro completed his testimony in November 2023. However, the proceedings stalled following the changes in the judiciary.

During his evidence-in-chief, Mangwiro told the court that he heard Chiwenga screaming in pain after Mubaiwa allegedly pulled out an intravenous tube inserted into the Vice-President's chest while he was receiving treatment in South Africa.

Mtetwa challenged the testimony, arguing that a witness who testified before Mangwiro had not mentioned the alleged incident. She also questioned why several witnesses had not referred to the attempted murder allegations in their statements.

The court further heard that Chiwenga later requested his hospital records while in South Africa and that the documents were made available to medical practitioners. Mangwiro, however, denied seeing the records, saying they had been directed specifically to physiotherapists.

Mtetwa also questioned why Mubaiwa had been allowed to remain with Chiwenga if medical personnel considered her a threat to his life.

In response, Mangwiro claimed that Mubaiwa wielded considerable influence at the time and could issue instructions even to Chiwenga's aides.

"There was nothing we could do; the accused was a very powerful woman at that time. She would decide what to do next; she would sometimes request privacy time with Chiwenga," Mangwiro told the court, adding that he had made telephone reports to the Office of the President and Cabinet.

He identified Major Nyoni and Major Murengi as the principal security personnel involved at the time.

Mtetwa also suggested that the disappearance of Chiwenga's medical records could be linked to what she described as a long-standing plan by the Vice-President to divorce Mubaiwa.

Mubaiwa denies the allegations, and the case remains before the courts. The magistrate's ruling on her application will determine whether she continues to be held on remand in the matter.