Marry Chiwenga intends to apply for refusal of further remand

The estranged wife of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, Marry Mubaiwa, on Tuesday notified the State that she will apply for refusal of further remand if it fails to furnish her with a trial date when she returns to court on February 14.

Mubaiwa made the notification when she appeared before Harare Magistrate Chrispen Mberewere charged with fraud, money laundering, attempted murder and foreign currency externalisation.

Indications are that the State is now in possession of the dockets containing offences she is being charged with. Tinashe Makiya represented the State.

Marry is accused of trying to kill her husband in South Africa in July. First, she allegedly tried to deny medical treatment to Chiwenga by insisting he stay at a hotel instead of a hospital when he was flown to South Africa for emergency medical treatment, according to the chargesheet.

Security officers later took Chiwenga to hospital, the chargesheet said.

Mubaiwa allegedly went to the hospital on July 8, asked the security to leave the room and “while alone” with Chiwenga, she “unlawfully removed the medical intravenous drip as well as a central venous catheter”, causing him to bleed profusely, according to the chargesheet.

She forced her husband off the hospital bed and tried to lead him out of the ward before being intercepted by his security details, it was alleged.

Chiwenga later went to China where he received medical treatment for four months and he returned to Zimbabwe in November. On his return from China, Chiwenga said he was suffering from “idiopathic oesophageal stricture”.

Mubaiwa is also accused of laundering about $1m to neighbouring South Africa by pretending to pay for goods that were never brought into Zimbabwe, according to the charges.