Caps United captain Method Mwanjali was yesterday remanded in custody pending bail hearing today when he appeared at the Harare Magistrates’ Court facing attempted murder charges, while Archford Gutu was freed on $100 bail.
BY PAIDAMOYO MUZULU
Gutu is facing a lesser charge of malicious damage to property after he allegedly smashed the rear windscreen of Tonderai Nhunzvi’s car.
The two, represented by Advocate Lewis Uriri, instructed by Tinofara Hove, were challenging their placement on remand, arguing that they had been detained beyond the 48 hours allowed by the Constitution before being brought to court. Mwanjali and Gutu yesterday appeared separately before Harare magistrate Tendai Mahwe.
The charges against them arise from a misunderstanding with Nhunzvi, whom Mwanjali is alleged to have stabbed twice, over his driving as they exited One Plus One bar at Long Cheng Plaza in the early hours of Sunday.
However, State counsel Francesca Mukumbiri argued that they were only formally arrested on Sunday at 3:30pm after they handed themselves over to the police.
Mahwe took over the matter after it was brought to court around 2:30pm yesterday and remanded Mwanjali (38) in custody to today for bail hearing.
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In his ruling, Mahwe said: “The court has to decide upon the facts given to it. The court cannot make a decision before it hears both sides’ arguments. However, Mwanjali is facing a known criminal offence and, therefore, is remanded to tomorrow (today) for bail hearing.
“Gutu is hereby released on $100 bail since the charge he is facing is not very serious,” Mahwe said.
Prosecutor Mukumbiri had earlier argued that she would bring the investigating officer, Batsirai Wafawanaka, from Milton Park Police Station to corroborate the State’s case that the two players were only formally arrested at 3:30pm on Sunday and, therefore, were properly placed before the court.
It is the State’s case that Mwanjali after he came out of the car he had a verbal altercation with Nhunzvi before he went back to the car and took a knife which he used to stab the complainant in the stomach.
Nhunzvi was admitted at Parirenyatwa Hospital where he was operated and is reportedly in a stable condition.
On Gutu, the State is alleging that after he stopped his car, he rushed to Nhunzvi’s car and had some verbal exchanges with him before he used an unknown object to destroy the complainant’s car windscreen.
