A Harare magistrate has withdrawn the assault case of former Zanu PF member Sybeth Musengezi, who was accused of assaulting an airtime vendor who disrupted his press conference in Harare
Musengezi was accused of assaulting airtime vendor Norest Taruberekere after the vendor allegedly interrupted his press conference to discuss the state of the economy.
The event quickly descended into chaos after Taruberekere disrupted it.
Two men, wearing green aprons, typically worn by airtime vendors, and covering their faces, gate-crashed the briefing.
They tore down Musengezi’s banners and forced him out of the Media Centre, an incident witnessed by journalists who had arrived to cover the event.
A group of police officers then intervened, forcing Musengezi out of the venue and onto a truck waiting outside.
Prosecutor Takudzwa Jambawo had told magistrate Kudzai Mthombeni that the key state witness Taruberekera was nowhere to be found, leaving them with no option but to withdraw the charges.
Musengezi was represented by Doug Coltart.
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Musengezi to prominence after the 2017 coup when he challenged the legitimacy of President Emmerson Mnangagwa in court.
In 2021, he filed a court order seeking the nullification of Mnangagwa’s leadership of Zanu PF, saying his elevation was illegal.
He argued that the Zanu PF central committee that made the decision to remove the late former Robwert Mugabe from the helm of the party was not properly convened.
Musengezi also claimed that the meeting was invalid because Mugabe was not incapacitated as alleged since he managed to preside over a Zimbabwe Open University graduation ceremony the same day he was ousted.
He said the alleged claims of incapacitation by other senior members who attended the “unlawful and unconstitutional” special session of the central committee was “deliberately false and misleading”.
In the High Court application, Musengezi, sought a court order that the late Vice President PhelekezelaMphoko should take necessary steps in line with the Zanu PF constitution to convene and preside over a special party congress to fill top leadership positions within three months of the granting of the order.
In response, Zanu PF said Mnangagwa was not liable to civil or criminal proceedings while he was still in office and the court challenge seeking to annul his ascendency to Zanu PF’s top post in November 2017 was flawed.
