An unwell Marry Mubaiwa Chiwenga was being forced to attend trial today according to lawyer Douglas Coltart. Colart shared the news using microblogging site Twitter and said:
I have been advised that prosecutors Muchemwa and Mushayabasa are trying to force Marry Mubaiwa Chiwenga to stand trial today at Rotten Row Magistrate’s Court despite her being unwell.
Additionally, her matter has been transferred from Provincial to Regional Magistrate’s Court without any explanation. In this matter, Marry is charged with common assault – an offence which is normally tried in the Provincial Magistrate’s Court. The courts have refused to allow Marry to travel to South Africa to have her medical condition treated.
However, the court later agreed to postpone Marry’s case as the magistrate reportedly stated that she must be lucid to attend trial:
UPDATE: Magistrate Gofa has granted an application for postponement of the trial on the basis that the right to a fair trial necessarily entails that an accused must be sufficiently well and lucid to follow the proceedings.
Marry was arrested in December 2019 after her husband VP Chiwenga reported her to the police for attempting to kill him and externalizing funds.
She has been visibly unwell her lawyers have said she needs to go to South Africa to be attended to by specialists but the court dismissed her application and said she did not convince the court that her condition was life threatening.
Source: Douglas Coltart