HARARE lawyer Stanslaus Munyaradzi Bwanya yesterday revealed in court that three witnesses will testify for him in court during his defence presentation in a case where he is being accused of perjury and forgery.
The defence case is scheduled to commence on October 17 after the State closed its case last month.
Bwanya told Harare magistrate Lisah Mutendereki that his witnesses were public officers who required court summons to appear in court.
Among the witnesses to testify is Local Government ministry deputy director of legal services Lucia Murefu, Deeds Office deputy chief registrar Elizabeth Nyaguru and Tapiwa Nyachoto, who is the principal examiner at the Deeds Office.
Bwanya also told the court that one of the witnesses had indicated that they received threats from the complainant.
“I would like to ask the court to order the complainant to stop threatening the witnesses as one of them has filed a complaint after the complainant threatened them against testifying in court,” he said.
The complainant in the matter is Farai Olivia Mashonganyika.
Prosecutor Takudzwa Jambawu led evidence from Mashonganyika, who told the court that in 2009, she acquired stand number 91 Carrick Creagh Estate, Borrowdale, Harare, through the Local Government and Public Works ministry .
- Lawyer Bwanya calls public officers as witnesses
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After settling the development fees of US$10 000 to the land developer, Arosume Property Development and US$4 000 land intrinsic value to the ministry, she was given title to the property being title deed number 5690/2011.
She said in April 2022, Bwanya purported that he was representing the interest of his client, Arosume Property Development, and approached Moses Gumbochuma, Mashonganyika’s brother, and asked him to persuade her to give him 2 000m² of her stand so that he can ensure the property developer drops any legal challenges against her.
When she refused, he allegedly filed a false court application to stop her from developing her property.
On another charge, Bwanya is accused of lying under oath and forging documents to support his claims.
He has, however, applied for discharge on that allegation and the court is set to hand down its ruling on the application on October 17.
