A State witness in the ongoing trial of MDC-T youth leader Solomon Madzore and 28 other party activists accused of killing a police officer Petros Mutedza in May last year yesterday disowned his own evidence recorded hours after the incident.
Assistant Inspector Spencer Nyararari, who appeared as the sixth witness, did not only contradict what other witnesses who testified before him said, but went on to disown statements recorded from him on the day Mutedza was killed.
“You gave two separate statements confirming Mutedza was stoned at the back of Munyarari Bar, but today (yesterday) you tell the court that there were no people at the back of the bar?” defence lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa asked.
“I am telling the court what I saw, I am not the one who wrote the statement, it was Assistant Inspector Maphosa who recorded it and he is Ndebele. Maybe there was need for an interpreter,” Nyararai said, prompting Mtetwa to ask him if he had been denied the chance to go through the statement before signing.
Nyararai claimed that after the police vehicle arrived at Munyarari Bar, MDC-T activists wearing red T-shirts started singing and chanting slogans when the now diseased Mutedza and four other police offices disembarked from the car.
However, Mtetwa said his evidence was contradicting all other witnesses who said the activists ran into the bar and exited through the back door.
“You said there was noise of patrons drinking beer in the bar when you arrived.
“How could you hear the noise when there were MDC–T activists making slogans and singing?” Mtetwa asked.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Nyararai said he did not see anyone at the back of the bar, but said he saw stones flying at them, to which Mtetwa charged: “So there were some ghosts throwing stones at you when you did not see any person?”
The fifth witness, Constable Victor Magutarima, on Wednesday told the court that he was the one who recovered the broken police radio from a child who took it from Mutedza, but Nyararai yesterday said he recovered the radio besides Mutedza’s body at the scene.
Nyararai also physically identified the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 16th accused persons, saying he saw them at the scene of the incident chanting slogans.
