THE trial of an Insiza MDC-T councillor Nivas Dube charged with undermining police authority, failed to take off on Wednesday after it emerged the State was not yet ready to prosecute.
BY OUR STAFF REPORTER
The matter was further postponed to February 6 next year.
Dube’s lawyer Lizwe Jamela confirmed the postponement of the case.
“The case has been postponed to February 6 next year after the State showed it was not yet ready to prosecute it,” she said.
Dube (37) denied the charge when he initially appeared before magistrate Victor Mpofu during a circuit court hearing in Mbembesi on October 16.
He appeared before the same magistrate at the Bulawayo Tredgold Courts yesterday who remanded him out of custody on free bail.
State prosecutor Memory Ndlovu told the court that on February 23, the complainant, a policeman Tapiwa Mugabe, based at Fort Rixon Police Base went to Jabulani Hall at Shangani Mine after receiving a report that there was conflict over maize distribution under the Grain Marketing Board (GMB)’s grain loan scheme.
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Dube is alleged to have tried to take over the distribution of the maize from the GMB manager and his team, leading to the clashes.
He allegedly grabbed Mugabe by the collar and insulted him for intervening in the dispute.
Dube is alleged to have accused police of being partisan in support of Zanu PF, but was later restrained by his MDC-T colleagues.
Mugabe later convinced Dube to accompany him to the police base where they were expected to resolve the dispute.
On arrival, Dube was arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer, a charge which was later changed to undermining police authority.
