Rushwaya bail judgment reserved

By Daniel Kachere

Harare High Court judge Justice Benjamin Chikowero has reserved judgment on whether to grant suspended Zimbabwe Miners Federation president Henrietta Rushwaya bail over allegations of gold smuggling.
Chikowero arrived at this conclusion after hearing submissions from both the State and Rushwaya’s defence led by Tapson Dzvetero.
The State maintained that Rushwaya could not be granted bail as her gold smuggling case involved a wide syndicate that needed to be investigated as indicated by the investigating officer when he testified at the Harare Magistrates’ Court.
The State also detailed that Rushwaya almost got away with the offence after she received help from Stephen Tserayi and Raphios Mufandauya who evaded the normal screening process at the Robert Mugabe International Airport, which is evidence of the existence of a syndicate.
It maintained that there was a strong case against Rushwaya such that releasing her would likely disrupt the trial proceedings as she would most likely abscond.
However, Dzvetero argued that the Magistrates’ Court ought to have granted Rushwaya bail as it was constitutional.
He told the court that Rushwaya denies any knowledge of letters linking her to Ali Mohammed, the second accused person in the case who is currently on Z$100 000 bail.
In further defence, Dzvetero submitted that cogent reasons, not just allegations of Rushwaya allegedly having connections in Dubai should have been placed before the court.
“Even the investigation officer could not give a single name relating to connections in Dubai before the court,” he said.
Rushwaya and her alleged accomplices Tserayi, Mufandauya and miner Gift Karanda have been languishing in remand prison since the end of October. Nhau/Indaba