"Killer" Gweru Businessman, Peter Dube, Declared Fit To Stand Trial
The trial of fugitive murder suspect Peter Dube is set to be handled by the High Court circuit sitting in Gweru, following a determination that he is fit to stand trial.
Initially, Dube’s trial faced delays due to his exhibited mental challenges. However, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) requested a psychological evaluation, which later confirmed that he was mentally fit for trial.
As reported by The Mirror, on Monday, September 23, the High Court issued warrants for the arrest of two witnesses, including the chief witness and Dube’s second wife, Nyasha Nharingo.
Reports suggest that they have fled the country and are no longer interested in testifying in the case.
Nharingo, who survived a bullet that passed through her mouth and exited through her jaw, is a crucial witness in the proceedings regarding the fatal shooting incident.
Dube’s lawyer, Constance Madzudzi, said that the matter would be brought back to the High Court once the witnesses are available. She said:
The State has issued warrants of arrest for two witnesses, including Nyasha Nharingo, and from what I have gathered, they have indicated that they are no longer interested in testifying, so the case is now complicated and will be brought back to the High Court once the witnesses are available.
Dube had been on the run for nearly three years after allegedly shooting dead his second wife’s suspected lover, Shelton Chiduku, and her best friend, Gamuchirai Mudungwe.
He reportedly turned the gun on his wife, Nyasha, and her sister, Nyaradzo, but both women survived the attack.
Midlands Provincial Prosecutor Samuel Pedzisayi alleged that on April 22, 2021, around 11 AM, Chiduku, Mudungwe, Nyasha, and Nyaradzo travelled to Masvingo to collect Nyaradzo’s passport.
Dube, suspecting infidelity between Nyasha and Chiduku, was upset to learn that the four had gone to Masvingo without his knowledge.
Later that day, around 8 PM, he allegedly armed himself with a Zastava pistol and went to Bensam Flats on Main Street in Gweru, where Nyasha resided.
An altercation ensued at the flats, stemming from Dube’s suspicions of an affair. He went downstairs and shot Chiduku, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of a Toyota Hiace, hitting him once in the front left shoulder, resulting in Chiduku’s immediate death.
Mudungwe, who was downstairs with Chiduku, attempted to flee upstairs but was shot once in the left cheek by Dube, dying instantly.
After allegedly killing Chiduku and Mudungwe, Dube went upstairs to confront Nyasha and Nyaradzo. It is alleged that he shot Nyasha once in the right cheek; the bullet exited through the left side of her neck, removing her right molar tooth and lodging in her shoulder.
He then turned his gun on Nyaradzo, shooting her above the left ear, which caused the bullet to pierce through and rupture her right eye.
Both Nyasha and Nyaradzo survived the shooting and were taken to Gweru Provincial Hospital, where surgeons successfully operated on them.
After the incident, Dube fled to South Africa, then to Eswatini, where he fraudulently obtained an identity document and passport. In Eswatini, he changed his identity and assumed the name Xolile Mtsali.
It is alleged that Dube later flew to Ireland, where he was arrested in Dublin in 2023 for violating immigration laws.
He was using a fake identity at the time of his arrest and refused to be deported to Zimbabwe, claiming to be a Mozambican citizen named Armando Quenete Muchanga.
Ultimately, Dube was deported to Mozambique, where authorities confirmed his true identity as Zimbabwean, leading to his deportation back to Zimbabwe on April 3, 2024.
More: Pindula News