Harare,(New Ziana) – The High Court on Friday again postponed to next week the bail and appeal hearing for Marry Mubaiwa, the estranged wife of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who is facing four charges, including attempted murder.

This is the second deferment of the case after it was initially moved to December 27 when it was heard for the first time on December
20.

The hearing has now been set for December 31, 2019, meaning Mubaiwa,
who spent the Christmas holiday in prison, will endure four
more days in remand prison.

In postponing the hearing, the High Court said this was to allow the
state to prepare its response, and the new judge handling the case time
to acquaint with the case.

Mubaiwa was arrested two weeks ago, and faces attempted murder, money
laundering and fraud charges, most allegedly committed against her husband.

In the attempted murder charge, Mubaiwa is accused of trying to kill her
then gravely ill husband by tampering with his medical equipment in a
hospital ward in South Africa where he was admitted in June.

In the fraud case, she is accused of attempting to upgrade her customary
marriage to VP Chiwenga to a civil one without his knowledge or consent.

Mubaiwa also faces charges of money laundering and externalisation mainly to South Africa where she is believed to have acquired expensive properties.

She denies all the charges.

Mubaiwa has applied for bail on the attempted murder charge at the High Court, and is also appealing in the same court against a decision by the Magistrates Court to deny her bail in the other three cases.

In Friday’s court proceedings, her lawyer, Taona Nyamakura of Mtetwa and
Nyambirai Legal Practitioners argued against further postponements of the hearing, saying it defeated the urgency of the matter.

“The judge has ordered the state to respond to our application by 11AM
on Monday (December 30) and then the matter will be heard at 9AM on
Tuesday which is the 31st,” Nyamakura said.
New Ziana