Woman acquitted of hiring hit-man to kill lover’s wife

By Tarisai Machakaire

A Harare woman accused of hiring a hit man to murder her lover’s wife leapt with joy on Tuesday after her case was thrown out.

Judith Makwara was answering to charges of conspiracy to commit murder before Harare regional magistrate Temba Kuwanda.

Makwara is a congregant at Lead International Ministry and is suspected of having an extramarital affair with the church’s chief executive officer Lovejoy Tirivepi — Charity Muzorewa’s husband.

Kuwanda acquitted Makwara at the close of the State case after noting that a conviction could not be sustained based on the charge preferred by the prosecution team.

He noted that it was not in dispute that Makwara had incited people to commit the murder but because none of them had agreed to participate in the crime, she could not be convicted for conspiracy to murder.

“You are being acquitted because the charge which was preferred by the State is not sustainable. You should observe sanity and never do that again, that is a no-go area,” Kuwanda ruled.

“It could have been a different story if the State charged you with incitement to commit murder because that is what you did. I think you have learnt your lesson.”

The State’s star witness, Clover Musariri, a karateka, denied agreeing to participate in the mission saying they were not trained to kill in karate.

“When I met the accused person, she told me that she wanted Charity beaten to death and her driver Tinashe would not be killed but thoroughly beaten because he was spreading rumours about her affairs,” Musariri said.

“She offered $2 000 and said she wanted to call (pastor) Lovejoy in America to request for the money. The accused person told him that she had finally found a person who could beat Charity to death hence needed to make payment.

“Lovejoy responded that he was having challenges to access the money and that was when Makwara said she could give me $1 000 and settle the balance after the assassination. I left her car at that moment and told her that I was not going to take up the task because we were not taught to kill in karate.”

Prosecutor Chipo Matambo alleged that on April 14 around 12pm, Muzorewa received a phone call from Musariri who informed her that he had been assigned by Makwara to kill her.

It was alleged that Musariri then requested to meet with Muzorewa but she refused fearing for her life and filed a police report the following day relying on the phone call she had received.

Muzorewa stated that she became aware that Makwara was having an adulterous affair with her husband and believed that to be the motive behind the murder plot. Daily News