I seized party vehicle peacefully: Khupe driver tells court

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OPPOSITION MDC-T vice-president Thokozani Khupe’s driver, Witness Dube, who is accused of robbing a former party official of a vehicle, on Thursday denied the charges, claiming he took possession of the car “peacefully”.

OPPOSITION MDC-T vice-president Thokozani Khupe’s driver, Witness Dube, who is accused of robbing a former party official of a vehicle, on Thursday denied the charges, claiming he took possession of the car “peacefully”.

BY SILAS NKALA

Dube is being charged together with his colleague, Kunashe Muchemwa.

In his defence, when he appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mark Dzira, Dube said he was in the company of his one-year-old-child when he took the car.

“I took the car without any force and I was only with my one-year-old child,” he told the court.

But contrary to Dube’s assertion, the State alleges he was with Muchemwa when he allegedly committed the offence and he had assaulted Lameck Ndlovu, who was driving the car in question, and took some money from him.

The two men are alleged to have seized the vehicle allocated to then MDC-T Matabeleland North provincial chairperson Sengezo Tshabangu when Ndlovu, a driver, had it on May 25, last year.

Although there were allegations during the trial by State witnesses that Dube was heard calling Muchemwa on the scene, he dismissed the claims, saying he could not have called Muchemwa because he was only with his child.

He said after taking the car, he drove it to the party offices and denied ever seeing any money or identity particulars of anyone in the vehicle.

“There was no money or identity card and I never searched, let alone touch anyone’s belongings during the seizure of the vehicle,” Dube said while under cross-examination by his lawyer Tanaka Muganyi.

The matter was then remanded to Monday next week for continuation of the defence, when Muchemwa is expected to defend himself.

Muchemwa is represented by Kholwani Ngwenya.

The two were put on their defence after Dzira dismissed their application for discharge at the close of the State’s case.

Dzira said it appeared they used physical force to grab the party vehicle from Ndlovu, as he sustained injuries in the process.

During trial last month, former MDC-T treasurer-general Elton Mangoma said the vehicle in question did not belong to the MDC-T, but to a company owned by senior party members, some of whom had since defected.