By Staff Reporter
Ward 10 Councillor Clayd Mashozhera, Noel Munhuwei, and Daudi Jessub were acquitted of three counts of attempted murder and one count of malicious damage to property by Harare Magistrate Estere Chivasa.
The court ruled in their favor after the State failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove the charges.
The trio, represented by lawyers Harrison Nkomo and Tapiwa Muchineripi, consistently pleaded not guilty to the accusations.
The charges stemmed from an incident in which Cyril Nyauchi, an aspiring Ward 10 Councillor for ZANU PF claimed that on the night of August 22, 2023, he and his colleagues, Artwell Marwa and Spencer Mudarikwa, were attacked by suspected Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) members while distributing food to ZANU PF election agents in Sunningdale.
Nyauchi claimed that their Toyota Spacio was blocked at the Metro Peach main entrance near the corner of Seke Road and Boshoff Drive by vehicles allegedly linked to the accused.
He alleged that Mashozhera, Munhuwei, Jessub, and others disembarked from the vehicles armed with axes, golf sticks, whips, and batons.
In an interview following their acquittal at Harare Magistrates court, the jubilant trio said
“We are grateful to the court for seeing the truth and delivering justice. From the beginning, these allegations were baseless and aimed at tarnishing our reputations,” Cllr Mashozhera said.
Munhuwei echoed the same sentiments saying “We’ve always believed in our innocence, and today’s ruling vindicates us.”
The trio together with Sunningdale MP Maureen Kademaunga were arrested following last year’s general election however, Kademaunga walked away free after the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) dropped attempted murder charges against her in what they said there was no evidence linking her to the alleged crime.
