War Vets acquitted of killing white farmer

By Lance Guma

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BULAWAYO – Two war veterans accused of killing Nyamandlovu white farmer Ms Elizabeth Gloria Olds at the height of the chaotic land grab exercise 12 years ago, were controversially acquitted by the High Court last week.

War veterans Albert Ncube and Robert Nyathi were facing allegations of kidnapping and fatally shooting Ms Olds but Justice Maphios Cheda in a 10 page judgment said the case prepared by the State was weak.

“After listening to all witnesses in this case and going through all the papers, I find that no reasonable court would, given the circumstances and facts at hand, arrive at a conviction.

“The State case is weak and it relies mostly on circumstantial evidence and there is absolutely nothing linking the accused persons to the commission of the alleged offences. I thus find them not guilty of kidnapping and murder,” he said.

Ms Olds (72) was shot dead alongside her three dogs. Ncube and Nyathi were later arrested and charged with her murder. The pair was also charged with kidnapping Olds’ employee, Foster Moyo, a day before the murder.

Ms Olds’ death came about a year after her son, Martin, was also murdered by war vets and Zanu PF militia at his Compensation Farm in Matabeleland.

The 12 year delay in finalising the case involving Gloria Olds fuelled accusations of political interference by Mugabe’s regime allegedly eager to protect its foot soldiers who carried out the farm invasions on behalf of senior Zanu PF officials.

Reasons for the delay ranged from the failure of key witnesses to turn up amid accusations of intimidation and the three prosecutors assigned to the case all quit their posts at the attorney-general’s office under unclear circumstances.