Mashonaland Central Zanu PF chairman and Minister of Sports, Arts and Recreation, Kazembe Kazembe has been fingered in an alleged bribery case to influence the outcome of a trial in which four of his supporters are facing charges of looting 30 tonnes of mealie meal and flour worth over $10 00 belonging to Harare businessman, Tafadzwa Musarara.
Kazembe is said to be sending his people to court officials in a bid to influence the judgement set for tomorrow Friday.
The trial of the four accused persons, Jonah Ngwenya, Boyd Fungulani, Shingirai Chisango and Lens Faranando ended Monday with Magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti postponing the matter Friday 13 July for judgement.
According to a Bindura Magistrates Court official who spoke on condition of anonymity, Kazembe has been sending his people to negotiate and bribe court officials before the Friday judgement.
“He is making concerted efforts to try and influence the Friday judgement and has been sending his people to look for the court officials whom they can give money,” said a Bindura court official.
“We feel they might be trying to trap us, and turn the case against us that we were soliciting for bribe, so we have refused to entertain them,” added the official.
Responding to Musarara’s lawyers during a cross examination exercise on Monday, Jonah Gwenya, a Zanu PF Mashonaland central provincial transport secretary told the court that the accused were being framed because after blocking Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe boss from contesting in the Mazowe West Zanu PF primaries.
Musarara contested in the Zanu PF primaries for the Mazowe west national assembly eventually won by Kazembe.
It is the state’s case that on the midnight of 28 April at Dandamera shopping centre in Concession, the four accused supporters of Kazembe looted 30 tonnes of flour and mealie meal from a truck belonging to Musarara.
It is further alleged that the four ordered Musarara’s driver, Bachelor Mpalane to surrender keys to the truck before beating him up and locking him in their own vehicle while they looted the mealie meal and flour valued at $12 000.
Only food stuffs worth $885 were recovered.
Kazembe could not be reached for comments as his mobile phone went unanswered.
