THE murder trial of a Chitungwiza man, Pritchard Zimondi, took a new twist yesterday after it emerged that 50-year-old Julian Chineka, who threatened to remove her panties in court on Tuesday, was not an ordinary civilian, but a Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) major.
BY CHARLES LAITON SENIOR COURT REPORTER
Zimondi is facing charges of murdering his girlfriend Monalisa Chinomona in 2012.
Revelations of Chineka’s military background were made by her sister, Grace Zimondi, while being cross-examined by prosecutor Editor Mavuto. Grace is Pritchard’s mother.
Grace told High Court judge Justice Hlekani Mwayera that Chineka was a ZNA employee although she sometimes engaged in cross-border trading, an averment dismissed by Mavuto as false.
As the trial progressed, Grace was subjected to intense cross-examination, prompting her to give different versions of what is alleged to have transpired on April 24 2012 when Chinomona was grisly murdered.
For instance, Mavuto asked Grace to chronologically tell the court how she and her son Pritchard left home on the day in question.
Grace said she went to town with Pritchard and accompanied him to his workplace in a taxi before proceeding to the Harare Showgrounds along Samora Machel Avenue where they parted ways as her son embarked on a journey to Gweru.
- 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
This, according to the State, was contrary to what Pritchard had earlier told the court in his evidence-in-chief.
Mavuto said Pritchard told the court he left home with his mother, but they parted ways in town whereupon he proceeded to his workplace in a taxi alone and later on went to the Harare Showgrounds en route to Gweru.
Grace was further shown a bunch of keys that was allegedly recovered in Pritchard’s possession upon his arrest.
According to the State, Pritchard claimed ownership of the same, but Grace vehemently denied they belonged to her son.
“The keys belong to the Chinomona family and they use them to open their gate. I have never seen them with my son, his bunch of keys was different from these ones,” Grace said.
In her evidence, however, Grace admitted she was greatly affected by Monalisa’s death since she (Monalisa) was her daughter-in-law to-be and, above all, at the time of her death, she was pregnant.
“When I heard the news of her death, I lost strength and became very weak to such an extent that I suffered a running stomach,” Grace said amid murmurs of disgruntlement from Chinomona’s relatives and friends in the gallery.
Commenting on the issue of the recovered panties and bra, Grace said she only heard about the items in the news.
But Mavuto dismissed her assertions as false, citing the fact that she was present in court when the two items were produced as exhibits. The defence case was eventually closed and the matter provisionally postponed to the end of May for judgment whereupon Mavuto and Pritchard’s lawyer Norman Mugiya are expected to have filed their written submissions.
Pritchard is in custody in remand prison.
