Crimes and Courts Correspondent
A prominent Harare lawyer, Musindo Hungwe, has withdrawn from representing Paul Zhou, an accomplice of the slain armed robber Godknows Machingura, citing threats from police.
Hungwe’s decision comes midway through the trial, where Zhou is jointly charged with three South African nationals linked to Machingura’s gang.
Machingura, a notable figure in the Zimdancehall music scene, was shot dead by police earlier this year during a confrontation after his gang was apprehended. He succumbed to his injuries at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
Hungwe informed Harare magistrate Taurai Manuwere that he has been receiving unspecified threats from detectives in the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Homicide Unit. He expressed concerns for his safety and stated that the intimidation has hindered his ability to represent Zhou effectively.
“You will notice that over the past remands, I was conspicuous by my absence, and I have a grave concern that I want to bring to the attention of the court,” Hungwe stated.
He mentioned that they had video evidence from the scene of the arrest, which they intended to present during the trial. However, after announcing this intention, he began receiving threats from police.
“Following that announcement, covert and overt efforts have been made to Zhou’s lawyers by members of CID Homicide and people linked to them, trying to influence us not to use the said videos,” he explained.
Despite being bound by his professional oath to resist such pressures, Hungwe felt it was best to resign.
He also recounted that his colleague, Joseph Nemaisa, who initially represented Zhou, had also faced intimidation and subsequently withdrew from the case. Hungwe noted that Nemaisa’s former colleagues at CID Homicide are now attempting to bring murder charges against him based on allegations from over a decade ago, which Hungwe described as baseless and intended to intimidate.
In response to these serious allegations, Tafara Chirambira, the District Public Prosecutor representing the state, assured the court that an investigation would be conducted.
“What my colleague has said is disturbing, and as the National Prosecuting Authority, we will engage the Zimbabwe Republic Police at the highest level. An intensive investigation has to be done, and I will report back to the court,” he stated.
The presiding Magistrate has rescheduled the trial for November 25, rejecting a request from Zhou’s alleged accomplices to be tried separately, affirming that they acted in common purpose and should face trial together.
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