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Nyore Madzianike Senior Court Reporter

FORMER Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede has appeared in court on allegations of assaulting his daughter-in-law during the time she was having an altercation with her husband, Mudede’s son.

Mudede denied the charges when he appeared before magistrate Mr Dennis Mangosi, who remanded him out of custody to January 12 for trial.

His son, Tawanda Mudede, is also separately appearing before the same court on allegations of assaulting his wife, Michelle Masawi.

The State led by Miss Sithembiso Moyo alleges that on November 22 at around 6pm Tawanda Mudede and his wife visited the former Registrar General at his house in Borrowdale. Upon arrival, Tawanda called his wife into his room and closed the door from the inside.

Allegations are that his wife questioned him why he had closed the door and whereupon he replied that she was not leaving his father’s place for Chitungwiza.

The two allegedly picked a misunderstanding that ended up with Tawanda assaulting his wife with a broomstick. It is said that Masawi managed to leave the room and ran to their car which was parked outside the gate.

Tawanda allegedly pursued her and entered into the car where he also allegedly continued assaulting her.

Masawi then called for help resulting in the former Registrar General rushing to the scene.

Instead of restraining his son, Tobaiwa Mudede allegedly slapped his daughter-in-law in the face.

Irked by her husband and father-in-law’s actions, Masawi went to lodge a complaint with the police leading to the duo’s arrest.

In May this year, Mudede appeared in court on allegations of taking a Support Unit team from Rhodesville Police Station in Harare in the late 2000s to evict a woman from a plot at Ballinettey Farm in Mazowe and stealing her irrigation equipment worth US$10 000.

Mudede is said to have roped in the police with assistance from Inspector Mwenje, who was then officer-in-charge at Rhodesville and used them to evict Jacquiline Mukanganyama from Plot 10, Ballinettey Farm in Mazowe West. At that time, Mudede allegedly bragged that he was untouchable since he was the Registrar General.

It is said that Mudede was the holder of Plot 1 at Ballinettey Farm.

In 2002 Ms Mukanganyama was offered Plot 10 measuring 70 hectares and started farming there and was also given the responsibility of the taking care of the remaining State land and other properties.

In 2007, Mudede was offered subdivisions 1,2,3,4,13 and the remainder of Ballinettey, a total of 712.64ha after a heated boundary dispute between him, Ms Mukanganyama and other neighbours. Mudede, according to the State, had his offer letter registered by the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture in 2009.

Further allegations are that Mudede then forcefully went to occupy the farm house which was at the boundary of Ms Mukanganyama’s farm and the remaining State Land, which was under her caretakership.

The court heard that Mudede evicted Mukanganyama and stole irrigation equipment which included aluminium pipes, a 20-horse power Mono pump, submersible pump and plates worth US$10 000.

It is said that when Ms Mukanganyama attempted to recover her allegedly stolen items, Mudede assembled the team of Support Unit police from Rhodesville, who allegedly went to intimidate and assault Ms Mukanganyama.