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Yeukai Karengezeka

Court Correspondent

THE trial of CCC Member of Parliament for Sunningdale Constituency Maureen Kademaunga, Councillor Clayd Mashozhera and two other accomplices on three attempted murder charges, opened in Harare yesterday.

Kademaunga, Mashozhera, Noel Munhuwei and Daudi Jessub are facing three counts of attempted murder and one count of malicious damage to property.

Represented by Mr Harrison Nkomo and Tapiwa Muchineripi, they pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prosecutor Ms Heather Muwokoto led the first State witness, Cyril Nyauchi, who was the aspiring Ward 10 Councillor for ZANU PF, who described what happened on the day of the incident.

He alleged that himself, Artwell Marwa and Spencer Mudarikwa, were severely assaulted by suspected CCC members who also burnt his motor vehicle.

“It was on 22 August 2023 at around 11pm when l and my two party colleagues were moving around Sunningdale giving food to ZANU PF election agents who were deployed at polling stations.

“I was driving a Toyota Spacio motor vehicle. When we got to Metro Peach main entrance at Corner Seke Road and Boshoff Drive in Sunningdale 1, Harare, we were blocked by accused persons and about 10 unknown others who are still at large,” he said.

The accused were driving a white Toyota Noah registration number ADI 6448, a pearl Toyota Mark X registration AFG 4447, a white commuter omnibus, a Honda Fit and two other cars whose registration numbers were not captured.

Jessub and others who were in the other vehicles, disembarked and Mashozhera remained in the Toyota Noah whilst Munhuwei and Kademaunga remained in the Toyota Mark X vehicle.

They smashed the window pane of Mr Nyauchi’s Toyota Spacio and when Mr Nyauchi got out, he was suddenly attacked by the suspects all over his body with an axe, golf sticks, whips and batons until he partially lost consciousness.

He suffered severe injuries.

Mr Marwa and Mr Mudarikwa also disembarked from the vehicle and were attacked with the same weapons in a similar manner.

Mr Nyauchi also told the court that during the assault, Kademaunga allegedly came out of a Toyota Mark X vehicle and encouraged the other accused persons to strongly assault the three.

He added that it was Munhuwei who took his car keys and smashed his windscreen and took an axe to strike him on the right side of his head, but he blocked the axe using his thumb.

Mr Nyauchi was later assisted by an unknown passerby who took him to ZRP Braeside where he reported the case. Police attended the scene and ferried his colleagues.

Mr Nyauchi also told the court that on July 17 last year, the accused persons blocked his way at house number 15937 Sunningdale and the case was reported under CRB 1655/8/23.

The trial continues today before Harare regional magistrate Mrs Estere Chivasa.