THE 2013 legal year will open on January 14 with the Bulawayo High Court expected to deal with 23 murder cases among them that of empowerment activist Sonny Chasi (72), who is facing charges of murdering his wife for alleged infidelity.
Report by Richard Muponde
According to the High Court case list for the first term of 2013, the trial of three murder suspects — Mncedisi Ndlovu, Nhlanhla Sibanda and Bhekimpilo Mthethwa, who allegedly killed four people including a baby in Stanmore in 2010 — is back on the court roll.
The matter had been postponed indefinitely after the State closed its case.
Chasi’s case is the most recent as it was committed last month.
His trial commences on March 21.
The alleged murder happened two weeks after Chasi had just been released from prison after serving three years of a seven-year jail term for fraud.
Chasi, of Waterford suburb, Bulawayo, was not formally charged with rape and murder when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Learnmore Mapiye recently.
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He was remanded in custody to December 31.
The Stanmore trio allegedly killed their victims between November 18 and December 8, 2010.
They allegedly waylaid their victims as they disembarked from buses or other public transport at Stanmore bus station and took them to a nearby bush and robbed them of their goods before killing them.
During the course of their operations, they allegedly killed Mthombani Moyo (81), Senzokuhle Moyo (44), Melgina Mahlangu (62) and Nothando Dziba (20) as well as her seven-month-old baby, whose name was not given in court.
The trio pleaded not guilty before High Court judge Justice Martin Makonese. Sonny Chasi faces murder, rape charges
Chasi is currently languishing in remand prison after the High Court denied him bail three weeks ago, arguing that he was not a suitable candidate for bail.
Besides his case of murdering his wife, Dorcas Majola (41), Chasi also faces charges of allegedly raping his 16- year-old daughter on several occasions.
Chasi’s case is the most recent as it was committed last month.
