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Mr Douglas Mwonzora

Chronicle Reporter
FOUR MDC-T youths charged with assaulting the party’s deputy treasurer-general, Elton Mangoma, appeared in court yesterday represented by MDC-T spokesman, Douglas Mwonzora.The youths told Harare Magistrate Tendai Mahwe that Mangoma was fixing them because they did not support his plan to replace Morgan Tsvangirai as the party’s president.

And Mwonzora, a Tsvangirai ally, risked creating further fissures in the chaos-hit party by turning up in court as a lawyer for the quartet. Francis Machimbidzofa, 38, Enock Mukudu, 31, Stefani Jahwi, 36, and Samson Nerwande, 41, deny charges of assault.

Nerwande is facing an additional charge of public violence for allegedly assaulting, Angirayi Moyowatidi, whom he accused of supporting Mangoma. Mwonzora produced Mangoma’s statement to the police in which the deputy treasurer-general said his attackers were unknown to him.

Machimbidzofa said: “If I indeed assaulted him, he would have even identified me by my totem because I was part of the team which campaigned for him for his post as the party’s deputy treasurer-general.

“We also collect our salaries from him, hence he knows me very well.”
Machimbidzofa added that Mangoma wanted to be the party’s president and was “fixing” him for supporting the incumbent, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mwonzora also produced a medical report for Mangoma showing his injuries were “moderate”, contrary to the State’s allegation that he suffered severe head injuries.
Machimbidzofa said he was a candidate for bail and not a flight risk considering he handed himself over to the police.

The four have been remanded in custody to today for continuation of their bail applications. To support his application for bail, Mwonzora led evidence from Machimbidzofa who denied assaulting Mangoma.

During cross-examination, Tungamirai Chakurira who is appearing for the State, accused Machimbidzofa of being on the run. He charged: “You placed yourself beyond the reach of the police. Where were you when your co-accused James Chidhakwa was arrested and brought before the court?

“You also instructed the security guards manning Harvest House to lock the entrance therefore barring the police from getting inside to arrest you.”
Machimbidzofa said he was never on the run.

Prosecutors say the four men punched and slapped Mangoma all over his body at the party’s headquarters. Mangoma bled from the nose, his shirt was torn and his spectacles worth $300 were damaged, it is alleged.