MASVINGO — Five suspected Zanu PF activists from Zaka District appeared before High Court judge Justice Samuel Kudya last week accused of the murder of two MDC-T activists in 2002.
It is alleged the suspects burnt their victims Peter Mabika and Innocent Muregi’s backs and then assaulted them with bricks and sticks until they died.
According to court papers, the five – Mupfiga Muchakata (39), Takudzwanashe Mazhetese (40), Moses Binduko (41), Brighton Mutyiri (34), and James Chisvore (41) – were members of Zanu PF’s disciplinary committee at a political base at Jichidza business centre in the Chief Nyakunhuwa area. This comes hardly a month after four other Zanu PF supporters were jailed 18 years each for the murder of a Gokwe MDC-T activist, Moses Chokuda, in March 2009.
In the Masvingo case, the State alleges on March 10, 2002, the accused and four others who are now deceased captured Mabika and took him to their campaign base and allegedly assaulted him with knobkerries and sticks, accusing him of having stolen some cattle from Alfred Madzimate.
It is alleged they detained him for three days and continued assaulting him despite his plea of innocence. They later allegedly undressed him, burnt his back with plastic and struck him on the head with bricks. Mabika (29) allegedly died of a fractured skull the following morning.
The court also heard Muregi (57) was interrogated in the same way until he could not talk. He died two days later as a result. Last Friday, Justice Kudya deferred the case to the High Court’s next circuit sitting next year. The five, who have denied the charge, indicated they would soon apply to the Supreme Court to have their case dropped arguing they had overstayed on remand.
