CHIREDZI – Prominent Chiredzi Doctor, Farmer and Rancher, Dr Tungamirai Rukatya’s young brother, Isaac Rukatya, was granted bail yesterday by a Masvingo Judge after spending a week and a half behind the bars.
Rukatya first applied for bail at Chiredzi magistrates court on Tuesday last week when he appeared before Magistrates Misheck Munyaradzi.
He is being charged for malacious destruction to property, rising from an incidence where he is said to have burnt a 0.5 hectares sugar cane plot which belongs to their late father’s Estate, as a way to force his brother to come for negotiations over their contentious Estate.
This publication is reliably informed that the two brothers have been fighting tooth and nail over the Estate for the past years, with the brother refusing to cede shares to the younger.
The matter was finally settled at the High Court, that ordered the two to share the Estate.
It is alleged that the older brother ignored the High Court ruling, forcing the young brother to harvest his portion without the older brother’s consent.
This did not go down well with the older brother who reported the matter to Police.
Isaac was arrested and brought to Court on Tuesday last week but remanded in custody pending his bail application ruling.
Magistrate Munyaradzi turned down the application, referring the accused to the High Court.
His legal counsel, Emmanuel Chibudu approached the High Court in Masvingo yesterday.
The application was granted yesterday.
As part of his bail conditions, he was ordered to pay $4 000Rtgs, not to interfere with state witnesses, reside at his present home in Mugandani road as well as reporting every Friday of a forty night at Chiredzi Police station.
This publication is legally informed that Bail Applications for Malacious injury to property caused by fire are applied at the High Court.
