Dangamvura church elder escapes assault charge

A 72-year-old United Methodist Church (UMC) elder who was on trial for assaulting a church mate over a misunderstanding was recently freed by a Mutare magistrate.

Rodger Chirara of Dangamvura (Area C) was freed by magistrate Perseverance Makala following his conviction after a full trial.

He was being charged with assault as defined in section 89(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act chapter 9:23.

Chirara was being alleged to have slapped Wisdom Humure, 47, for following up on his contribution to the UMC building fund.

It was the State’s case that on June 27, 2017 at 0900 hours, Humure went to his residence intending to collect Chirara’s contribution but this did not end well as he was assaulted in the process.

During their engagement over the matter, Humure had calculated Chirara’s arrears and told him the amount due. This allegedly did not go down well with Chirara who then demanded to know if Humure had cleared his own arrears.

Chirara allegedly began shouting at Humure, alleging the visitor had demanded cash from him before grabbing him by the collar, pushing him against the gate and slapping him once. Although Humure sustained no visible injuries, he was medically examined. Daily News