By Margaret Matibiri for Mail & Telegraph
Harare – President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ‘would be’ assassinator who is also a self-proclaimed prophet has been sentenced to 12-years behind bars by a Harare magistrate.
Gathry Chiredzero, better known as Madzibaba Gathry (40), who last year allegedly breached Mnangagwa’s close security during a State function at the renaming of KGVI Barracks to Josiah Magama Tongogara, was sentenced to 16-years in jail by Harare magistrate Esteri Chivasa.
The gun-wielding bogus security agent had three-and-a-half years of his sentence suspended on condition that he does not commit similar offences within the next five years.
Madzibaba Gathry was facing charges of possession of a firearm at a public gathering, impersonating a public official, forgery, possession of articles for criminal use and driving without a licence.
On the first charge, he was sentenced to five years behind bars, on the second charge he was sentenced to another five years of which one was suspended on condition of good behaviour.
On his third charge, he was sentenced to four years in prison, and of the four, two were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
He was also sentenced to one year in jail on his forth charge and on the final charge he was sentenced to another year in prison and six months were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
The State led by Michael Reza quashed Chiredzero’s mitigations for any sentence besides a custodial one saying he wanted to play God.
“The court should give this man a stiffer penalty because he committed a serious offence.
“He came within meters of the leader of the State with a loaded gun, seeing that he is a clergy man, he wanted to play God following the scripture according to Daniel.
“He was playing God because he knows that it is only God who appoints and removes kings which is what he intended to do on the day in question.
The State proved that Chiredzero sneaked into State House on December 4 during the swearing in of Cabinet ministers.
It also proved that during the time of his arrest, he was trying to disguise his identity by controlling movement of people during the renaming of King George (KGVI) Barracks to Josiah Magama Tongogara Barracks in Harare.
Chiredzero impersonated a state security agent and was even spotted near the podium controlling traffic.
The military personnel also established that Chiredzero was a bogus CIO operative and he had a 38mm special Amando Rossi South African revolver with three live rounds of ammunition and two spent cartridges.
