UNITED Families International Church (UFIC) cameraman Ruzevha Mashata yesterday said the video tape that was presented in court showing MDC-T activist Last Maengehama in a church service was an original recording and had not been edited.
PHILLIP CHIDAVAENZI
Speaking during cross examination by prosecutor Edmore Nyazamba in the trial in which eight MDC-T activists are accused of murdering police officer Petros Mutedza on May 29, 2011, Mashata said the original recording was never tampered with.
Mashata told High Court judge Justice Chinembiri Bhunu that according to the UFIC policy, all copies of recordings were preserved in their original forms and editing was done separately. The former Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation cameraman said he was not aware of any editing done to the video between 2011 and 2014.
As he was led by defence counsel Beatrice Mtetwa, he said he never had any interests in the recording — in which Maengahama is captured while in the service on the day Mutedza was allegedly murdered — until it was requested for purposes of the trial, so there was no way he could have tampered with it.
Although the date of recording is not indicated in the video, Mashata told the court that tape showed the date, venue and the cameraman’s name and some of its scenes mirrored those on the other dated recording.
Nyazamba, however, insisted that there was a possibility that the recording could have been tampered with between 2011 and 2014 since Mashata never had access to it.
He also queried the authenticity of the three–hour long video purportedly capturing a service that ran from 6 o’clock in the morning to 5pm in the evening.
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Mutedza died May 29 2011 at a Glen View shopping centre after an alleged attack from MDC-T youths.
At least 31 MDC-T members were arrested in connection with the case. All the activists, except seven, were acquitted at the close of the State case.
The court ruled that Maengahama, Tungamirai Madzokere, Yvonne Musarurwa, Lazarus Maengahama, Edwin Muingiri, Phineas Nhatarikwa and Paul Rukanda had to be put on their defence because they had a case to answer.
The trial continues on Monday.
