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Tendai Rupapa Senior Court Reporter
Three witnesses have so far testified against MDC-Alliance vice president Morgen Komichi outlining to the court how he contravened the Electoral Act during the announcement of presidential election results for the July 30 elections at the national results centre in Harare.

Komichi, who was the party’s national chairperson then, allegedly staged a sideshow during the announcement of the election results.

Prosecutor Mr Michael Reza called Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) security officer Mr Concree Chivinda, a policeman Dickson Siyakwimbi and a ZBC employee Mr Phineous Gutu, who all nailed Komichi.

Komichi recently attempted to derail the trial by making a cocktail of applications which were all dismissed for lack of merit.

Initially, through his lawyers Messrs Obey Shava and Jeremiah Bhamu, Komichi indicated that they wanted the V11 forms of the constituencies which ZEC relied upon before trial commencement.

He demanded the minutes of the meeting held between then ZEC chief election officer Mr Utloile Silaigwana and chief election agents of various political parties that participated in the July 30 elections where verification procedures were discussed.

Mr Reza opposed the application, saying the documents Komichi wanted were irrelevant to the case.

In his ruling, magistrate Mr Elisha Singano threw away Komichi’s applications and ordered that the case proceed to trial.

Mr Singano then handed over the matter to his sister magistrate Mrs Ruramai Chitumbura for trial commencement as he was overwhelmed with other matters.

Komichi again tried to evade trial by making another application for postponement of the matter on the basis that since the State could not furnish him with the V11 forms, he was taking it upon himself to look for them.

Mrs Chitumbura ruled in favour of the State and dismissed Komichi’s application, saying there was no prejudice to the accused person if the trial commences.

She then directed that the trial proceed to trial.

The prosecution then called its first witness Mr Gutu a ZBC producer who was at the said venue on the day the offence was committed.

The second witness, a police officer Siyakwimbi, narrated to the court how he removed Komichi from the podium with the assistance of other police officers.

He said following announcements by Komichi, there was commotion in the room.

In his evidence-in-chief, Zec official, Mr Chivinda, said he was the one who sought assistance from the police officers so that they could remove Komichi and MDC-Alliance leader Mr Nelson Chamisa’s spokesperson Nkululeko Sibanda from the podium.

“As the commissioners were preparing to come back to the podium, I saw Komichi in the company of Sibanda going to the podium and Komichi made an announcement,” he said.

“The commissioners were now coming up and Komichi continued addressing the crowd. Seeing that his actions were going to interrupt the programme, I then sought assistance from the police.”

The trial continues on November today.