By Staff Reporters
Chiredzi- Ephias Munodawafa(Chief Murinye) is under investigation from the Judiciary Service Commission and the Prosecutor General’s office after an accused woman who once worked for him at his transport company raised a red flag against him.
The case has opened a can of worms at Chiredzi Magistrate Court, where the District Public Prosecutor Moreblessing Rusere and Chiredzi Magistrate Misheck Munyaradzi are also fingered. Both have denied the allegations.
In a letter to the Judiciary Services Commission, also copied to Masvingo Provincial Magistrate, Masvingo Provincial prosecutor in charge, Chiredzi Resident Magistrate and Chiredzi prosecutor in charge, Precious Mutetwa alleges that Chief Murinye threatened her that he will make sure she will rot in jail as a way of fixing her for refusing to come back to work.
She also alleged that the Chief also told her that he is going to make sure that the case will be transferred to Masvingo as a way of crippling her financially.
The matter, in which Mutetwa was reported by Munodawafa for stealing office equipment and truck parts, was transferred from Chiredzi Magistrate Court to Masvingo without any reasons. The matter is set to be at Masvingo Magistrate Court on 17 June 2021.
Mutetwa said Munodawafa’s threats came to reality last week, after she was told in court at Chiredzi last week that her case could not be heard since it was transferred to Masvingo. She said there were no reasons given to her as to why the case was transferred from the place of occurrence.
“I was surprised to see the Chief improperly dressed when he came to court on the day of my trial. He was dressed in a tracksuit, indicating that he already knew that the case had been transferred according to his wish. When I was called to stand trail, the magistrate said the trial could not take off because the case was transferred to Masvingo citing conflicting interests that she never mentioned”, Mutetwa wrote.
Prior to the court case, Mutetwa said Chief Murinye roped in former Chiredzi Dispol Simangaliso Dube to arrest and detain her at Chiredzi Police for two days, together with her two kids aged 3 and 5 years.
“The two came to my house and picked me and my children before detaining me for two days on the charges of stealing Trust Property. I never stole anything from the workplace but only that I left his job for another over none payments”, she told this publication.
Apart from getting her arrested, she alleges that the Chief went an extra mile to get her evicted from a house she is staying at. The house is owned by a Tongaat Hulett employee who can not be named for professional reasons.
That was not the end. She alleges that the Chief went further to coerce Tongaat Huletts Accounts Department not to pay his current transport company until she has been fired from the company.
At the time of going to print, her new company had since advised her to go for an unpaid leave until she finalise her issues with finance personnel at Tongaat as well as the Chief.
“I am seeing total injustice in my life, maybe because I am a woman. I am shocked at the level of corruption exhibited by the Chief, the Police and the Courts” she lamented.
