HARARE-(MaraviPost)-Zimbabwean court has acquitted Marry Mubaiwa, the estranged wife of Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, on charges of attempting to murder him while he was hospitalised in South Africa in 2019.
Harare Regional Magistrate Musaiona Shortgame cleared the wheelchair-bound Mubaiwa of the charges on Monday, ending a case that has run for more than five years.
Mubaiwa had been accused of attempting to kill Chiwenga in July 2019 while he was receiving treatment in Pretoria. Chiwenga was later transferred to China, where he recovered. The couple’s marriage collapsed following his illness.
State prosecutors alleged that Mubaiwa unplugged life-support equipment and attempted to interfere with his treatment. She denied the charges, saying they were politically motivated and linked to the couple’s divorce battle.
Since her arrest in December 2019, Mubaiwa’s life has unravelled. She spent months in custody, lost access to her children, and has faced multiple legal cases and severe health complications that have led to the amputation of her right arm and left leg. She now uses a wheelchair.
The case has been closely watched in Zimbabwe as an example of the intersection of politics, power and the justice system.
As NewsHawks reported, Mubaiwa “lost almost everything: her marriage, children, right arm, left leg, money and property” during the protracted legal battle.
Mubaiwa has faced a string of other cases. She was convicted of marriage forgery in April 2022, acquitted of assaulting her domestic worker in October 2022, and has made several unsuccessful applications to have her prosecution stayed permanently or to be allowed to travel to South Africa for specialised medical treatment.
The acquittal on attempted murder removes the most serious charge she was facing, though other matters remain before the courts.
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