ESTRANGED wife to Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, Marry Mubaiwa, ordered a jeweller to make US$15 000 worth of wedding rings during her preparation for the wedding she allegedly lied that the Vice President had consented to at a time he was hospitalised in India sometime in June 2019, a court heard yesterday.
Colonel Gesham Muradzi, who was employed as an administrator in the Vice President’s Office during that time, yesterday told the court that Mubaiwa called him while she was in India with VP Chiwenga and asked him to pay US$15 000 to a jeweller located at Newlands Shopping Centre in Harare for the rings.
He said this while testifying in a matter where Mubaiwa is alleged to have misrepresented that the VP had consented to a wedding with her.
“In 2019 they were in India when Honourable General CGD Chiwenga was not feeling well. She called me asking how much money I had in the office,” he said.
“I told her that I had US$23 000, which was left in my custody by Vice President Chiwenga. The money was for looking at affairs at his farm and his children during the time he would be away.
“She then asked me to take $15 000 and give brother Mike. She indicated that brother Mike from Alpha Jewellery will call me. I later phoned him to collect the money from the office.”
Col Muradzi said he had not spoken to VP Chiwenga as he was hospitalised.
He said after some days, he was then asked to go and collect “a parcel” from brother Mike, which he said was wrapped in an envelope.
“Whenever he leaves the country, he would give us instructions on how to use the money, but this time around, he had not. In this case, he was not feeling well and could not talk. I was then instructed to go and collect parcels from brother Mike. It was now in July and they were now in South Africa,” he said.
Col Muradzi said he was instructed by Mubaiwa to hand over the parcel to Carrington Kazingizi, their driver, who was travelling to South Africa.
A jeweller, who also testified in the matter, told the court that he was given an order to make wedding rings at his company sometime in June 2019.
Mr Devon Peter Stewart, said he was given an order to make diamond and white gold rings for Mubaiwa and VP Chiwenga.
Although he was not privy of details of who made the order for the rings, Mr Stewart said the order came through his in-law and workmate only identified as brother Mike.
“I was given a job order to make the diamond and white gold. I do not know about the money that was paid as Mike was handling that. I was just given an order to make rings,” he said.
Mr Stewart said he never spoke to VP Chiwenga or Mubaiwa during the time he was given the job
