Tenda bus owner in court

Mutare(Pungwe News-New Ziana) -Prominent Mutare businessman and owner of Tenda bus company, Enerst Mungwari was on Tuesday granted ZWL150 bail over a case in which he is being accused of obstructing the police from carrying out their duties.

Mungwari was arrested on Monday together with a local woman for allegedly obstructing police and Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) officers from confiscating a contraband that had been smuggled into the country.

Mungwari and his co-accused Mary Njokwe (34) from Zimunya, about 20 kilometres south west of Mutare, were not asked to plead and were remanded to November 28 this year for trial by magistrate Tendai Mahwe.

The two were ordered not to interfere with state witnesses.

Prosecutor Nyasha Mukonyora told the court that on October 13, three police officers who were on anti-smuggling duties at Sakubva bus terminus, received information that Njokwe had loaded contraband which she had received from a Tenda bus from South Africa.

Armed with the information, the detectives approached Tenda garage at number 6 Swansea Close, Nyakamete and observed the two motor vehicles leaving the premises.

The detectives followed the motor vehicles until they reached Sakubva Musika rank and intercepted them.

The detectives demanded to see the declaration papers for the goods and none could be produced, prompting them to arrest Njokwe.

They reportedly removed the keys of the vehicles and ordered Njokwe to surrender the other one.

In a short space of time, Mungwari arrived at the scene driving a Range Rover registration number ADV 6927 and mobilized touts to assist him.

Acting on Mungwari’s orders, the touts numbering up to 20 and chanting “mudhara mudhara” violently offloaded the goods from one of the vehicles and took them Njokwe`s shop.

Mungwari reportedly used spare keys and drove the other vehicle away.

The following day, the detectives teamed up with Support Unit details and Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) officials and arrested Mungwari and Njokwe.

Njokwe led the police to the shop where the contraband had been stashed and ZIMRA officials seized it.

New Ziana