Kereke remains in custody

By Tendai Kamhungira

Jailed former Zanu PF legislator Munyaradzi Kereke, currently serving 10 years for raping his 11-year-old niece at gunpoint, remained behind bars on Tuesday after High Court judge Happious Zhou reserved ruling in his application for bail pending appeal.

Kereke, who is challenging both his conviction and sentence, approached the High Court demanding to be freed pending the hearing of the appeal.

However, after hearing submissions from Kereke’s lawyer Thabani Mpofu and private prosecutor Charles Warara, Zhou said he needed time to go through the submissions before passing a ruling.

“I will need time to consider the submissions in this matter,” he said before reserving judgment, which he said should be ready by October 7.

Making submissions on behalf of the businessman, Mpofu, said there were prospects of success on appeal, considering the State case’s “inconsistencies”.

He said the State’s case was “nonsensical” adding that the application had more than a fighting chance on appeal.

He accused the complainant of lying against his client. Mpofu further accused Kereke’s former boss ex-Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon Gono of having offered the complainant’s grandfather Francis Maramwidze tractors in order for him to pursue the case.

However, Warara rubbished the claims, accusing the former advisor to the RBZ governor of influencing defence witnesses to testify in his favour and exonerate him from the rape charge.

He said the witnesses failed to explain the circumstances under which they were made to sign the said affidavits, adding that the docket was interfered with.

“All evidence points to a cunning and crafty applicant,” Warara said, further accusing Kereke of attempting to destroy documents in the case.

He said Kereke’s prospects of success on appeal are dim and that his defence collapsed during the case’s trial.

Warara also said that there was a huge incentive for Kereke to abscond if released on bail, considering that he is serving a lengthy prison term and that he has connections outside the country.

He further said Kereke has many wives, making it difficult for the court to determine where he would stay if he was to be released on bail. He said according to him, Kereke was of no fixed abode. Daily News