Moreblessing Ali was never in a love relationship with Pius Mukandi Jamba: Court told

The late Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) member Moreblessing Ali’s alleged killer Pius Mukandi alias Jamba wanted to flee the country after committing the heinous crime, a Harare magistrate’s court heard yesterday.

Jamba (31) appeared in court yesterday before magistrate Dennis Mangosi.

According to police investigations, after committing the crime, Mukandi fled to his mother’s home area in Hurungwe’s  Chidamoyo area.

Mukandi wanted to sell a grinding mill to raise transport money to Zambia or Mozambique, but was later arrested with the help of the community who got wind of his presence.

It also emerged from the investigating officer identified in court as A Dimimbo that Ali was not Mukandi’s girlfriend, and that it was the first time for Mukandi to see the deceased.

After Ali’s body was discovered on June 11, government officials described the murder as a crime of passion after it emerged that Mukandi was in the company of a cousin, Simba Chisango, who is said to be a well known Zanu-PF terror gang leader in Chitungwiza.

Police also issued a statement saying the murder was not politically motivated as the two were allegedly lovers.

Mukandi was remanded in custody to July 1, and advised to apply for bail at the High Court.

The accused, who was not asked to plead, told the court that he needed a lawyer.

Allegations are that on May 24 this year around 10:30pm at Chibhanguza Night Club, Nyatsime, Beatrice, Ali was in the company of her dog and a friend, Kirina Mayironi .

Unprovoked, Mukandi told the deceased that her dog was disturbing his peace.

The deceased later went out of the nightclub, and was followed by Mayironi who saw her lying on the ground with the suspect dragging her.

Mukandi attacked Mayironi with a catapult, and she fled back into the nightclub.

Other patrons failed to save her as Mukandi pelted them with stones.

Prosecutors  alleged that Mukandi took the now deceased from the vicinity of  the night club to an unknown secluded place and struck her with an unknown object, before strangling her to death and cutting her body into three pieces.

Mukandi took the dismembered body parts to Plot 321 Dunnotar Farm in Beatrice, which belongs to his mother Laina Mukandi where he dumped them into a disused well before disappearing from the area.

On June 11, Laina Mukandi discovered the body of the now deceased after a strong stench emanated from the well.

She advised police, leading to the discovery of the dismembered body.

On June 14, a post-mortem was conducted on the remains of the now deceased at Parirenyatwa Hospital, Harare by a forensic pathologist identified in court papers as Dr Mayedo, who said Ali was already dead when her body was chopped into pieces.-standard