This is perhaps a classical case of how not to conduct a trial based on a plea of guilty in terms of s 271 (2) (b) of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act [Cap.9:07]. In this case the accused a 17 year old juvenile had consensual sexual intercourse with a fellow juvenile in contravention of s 70 (1) of the (Criminal Law codification and Reform) Act [Cap. 9:23].The complainant’s age was assessed by a medical practitioner to be between 14 ½ and 15 ½. More
The accused was convicted of contravening s 368 (1) of the Mines and Minerals Act, [Chapter 21:05] on 12 October, 2016 by the Senior Magistrate at Bindura Magistrate’s Court. He was sentenced to a mandatory prison term of 2 years. On review, I could not make out the handwriting of the magistrate. More
After losing some obscure musical instrument(s) described in the papers only as a speaker at his home in Chitungwiza, the offender Owen Katsande teamed up with his friends who were named during the proceedings but were not before the court. They rounded up a number of people on suspicion of having stolen the instrument(s) in question. All of their suspects were taken to Owen’s house which they had turned into a torture chamber. The offender and his goons finally cornered the deceased Robert Nyatsine who was the offender’s nephew. They pinned the theft on him and fatally assaulted him. In... More
The 4 accused persons stand charged of treason as defined in s 20 (1) (b) of the Criminal Law Codification & Reform Act [Chapter 9:23]. They are alleged during the period 1 August 2015 and 22 September 2016 to have conspired to overthrow the Government of Zimbabwe by engaging in conduct preparatory to realizing their goal. More
This matter comes before me for review from the magistrate’s court, Chegutu. The accused was charged and convicted on hisown plea of guilty on a charge of contravening s 185(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Cap 9:23] that is, escaping from lawful custody. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment.
The brief facts as outlined in the record of proceedings are that the accused is aged 39 years. He was arrested on allegations of rape and on 22 September 2011 he was taken to the Chegutu magistrate’s court for a court appearance presumably for an initial remand.... More
