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Court Reporter
Two MDC-T officials who were accused of systematically destroying Zanu-PF campaign posters before the July 2013 general election were acquitted on Tuesday. Chitungwiza magistrate Mr Kudakwashe Jarabini acquitted Trymore Mhosva (28), the MDC-T deputy organising secretary for Ward 21 and Wilson Benhura (47), the party’s Chitungwiza North organising secretary. Mr Jarabini said there was no evidence linking the pair to the commission of the offence.

Mr Tarisai Mutangi of Donsa Nkomo, Mutangi Legal Practitioners represented the pair who denied the charges brought under Section 152 of the Electoral Act.

During trial, the State’s key witness Gilbert Makufa’s evidence was marred with inconsistencies and he disowned two statements he had given to the police.

Makufa told the court that he saw the two and other MDC-T youths tearing the posters from a distance of about 500m.
The claim was disputed by the defence on grounds that one could hardly identify anyone at such a distance.

Circumstances were that on July 19 and at around 2pm, the duo was in company of three other accomplices identified as Ticha, Norman and Shame, who are still at large.

The prosecutor Mr Edmond Ndambakuwa said that on July 19 at around 2pm the accused went around Chitungwiza’s Unit A destroying and defacing posters belonging to President Mugabe, Zanu-PF’s Chitungwiza North candidate Robson Mhandu, and aspiring Ward 21 councillor Maxwell Dube, also of Zanu-PF.