MDC chairperson arrested over Mujuru’s death

By Gift Phiri

HARARE – A provincial chairperson for Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC has been arrested on charges of alleging Vice President Joice Mujuru was responsible for the death of her husband, retired army general Solomon Mujuru, last August.

Godfrey Chimombe, the MDC Mashonaland Central provincial chairperson was arrested on Thursday in Bindura on charges that he told MDC supporters at a rally that Mujuru was responsible for the August 16, 2011 death of her husband general Mujuru in a fire at his farmhouse in Beatrice, south of Harare.

Mujuru, popularly known by his nom de guerre Rex Nhongo, was married to the vice president. Chimombe was still held at Bindura Central Police Station at the time of going to press. Provincial police claimed he was a state witness who will assist them in investigating Mujuru over the death of her husband.

A Zimbabwean coroner, regional magistrate Walter Chikwanha in March ruled out foul play after going through evidence led during an emotionally-charged inquest.

“So many people and even relatives of the deceased believe that there is (something) amiss in the death of the now deceased but from the 41 witnesses who testified, no one was able to point to the court as to the basis of such suspicion and what it is that is amiss,” Chikwanha wrote in his report.

“The facts and evidence presented before the court, therefore, do not show that there was foul play and consequently, the court concludes that there was no foul play,” he said.

Bindura police Law and Order Section is handling the case, in which Chimombe is accused of telling a rally attended by hundreds of people at Nyatondo Business Centre in Mt Darwin North two weeks ago that the VP was responsible for her husband’s death.

Chimombe admits he was at the rally, but denies ever uttering the words. He says he never addressed the rally, which was addressed by the senior national MDC leadership including the deputy treasurer Elton Mangoma and the Women’s Assembly chairperson Theresa Makone.

Chimombe was picked up by police on Wednesday in the Bindura town centre on his way from a Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (Jomic) stakeholders’ meeting in Mt Darwin. It was not clear when he will be brought before the courts. Daily News