VP Chiwenga Faces Treason Charges?

Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga should be charged with treason over his utterances on November 13, 2017, where he threatened army intervention to stop former President Robert Mugabe from firing him as the head of the army, former Zanu PF youth leader Kudzanai Chipanga has said.

Chipanga who stands accused of communicating falsehoods, causing dissatisfaction in the army and undermining public confidence in the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF), accused Chiwenga of treason in his founding affidavit which he filed alongside his application at the High Court.

The Former Zanu-Pf youth leader accused Chiwenga of having generated a statement which has been the basis of a criminal charge he is facing.

He is seeking a review of his application requesting the statement by Chiwenga among other particulars.

Harare magistrate Edwin Marecha dismissed his application saying what the State had provided him and his colleagues, Munyaradzi Hamandishe and Rodney Dangarembizi was enough for them to draft their defences.

Chipanga said this was not fair adding Chiwenga should be in the dock as well because the contents of his coup statement issued November 13, 2017 were criminal too.

“For instance, the indictment alleged that I (Chipanga) gave a statement at a press conference referring to an earlier statement by Commander, Defence Forces, Constantino Guvheya Chiwenga.

“The statement by Chiwenga becomes self-evidently important to us.

“If for instance, the statement by Chiwenga was seditious, which it was, what Chiwenga then said was criminal,” Chipanga said.

“That aspect would then absolve me of any wrong doing. This is because contrary to what the State alleges, it is in fact Chiwenga who is the complainant in this case.

“He cannot benefit from his own wrong-doing. The same argument goes to the rest of the requested particulars. Once provided, they absolve us.”

-agencies