Maengahama, Madzokere acquitted after 8 years in jail: Thanks to ZLHR

By Nyashadzashe Ndoro | Nehanda Courts |

The Supreme Court has quashed the murder conviction of two MDC activists Tungamirai Madzokere and Last Maengahama after they spent 8 years in prison accused of the 2011 killing of police Inspector Petros Mutedzi in Glen View.

Maengahama, Madzokere and Yvonne Musarurwa, who is now an MDC-T legislator, were all convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison by Justice Chinembiri Bhunu in 2017.

This followed the murder of Police Inspector Petros Mutedza on May 2011 allegedly by an MDC mob which was reacting to a team of law enforcement agents that were deployed to disperse MDC youth activists in the Harare high density suburb.

Musarurwa was also sentenced together with Maengahama and Madzokere but she was released in 2018 through a Presidential Amnesty.

The MDC Alliance confirmed on Twitter that “Madzokere and Maengahama have finally been acquitted by the Supreme Court. They spent 8 years in jail for a crime they didn’t commit.”

Party spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said the two led video evidence to prove their innocence but it was ignored.

“Meet Last Maengahama & Tungamirai Madzorera. They’ve been in jail for 8 years on a baseless murder charge. Last was at church when the alleged crime happened. They led video evidence to prove their innocence. It was ignored.

“Today, they were acquitted by the Supreme Court,” she said.

Maengahama and Madzokere were represented by lawyers Beatrice Mtetwa Charles Kwaramba, Gift Mtisi and more others from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights. Nehanda Radio