THE criminal case against Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Chirumanzu South August 2023 parliamentary election candidate Patrick Cheza and four party activists accused of assaulting Zanu PF MP and Tourism minister Barbara Rwodzi was yesterday postponed to next week.
Gweru magistrate Beaulity Dube postponed continuation of the matter to November 7 this year.
Last month, the accused’s lawyers Esau Mandipa and Leopold Mudisi indicated that they would apply for referral of the case to the Constitutional Court.
Cheza (50) is being charged with inciting public violence alongside CCC activists Elias Maduveko (26), Magmaster Chidyawuye (21), Delight Zinyemba (22) and Courage Mugova (20).
It is alleged that Cheza incited CCC members to beat up Rwodzi after his vehicle was involved in an accident with a car belonging to the Zanu PF legislator.
During the trial Rwodzi, however, admitted that Cheza did not assault her and neither did she see any of the accused persons beating her.
Allegations are that on August 24 last year, Cheza was driving along Charandura-Chaka dust road when he arrived at a road traffic accident involving his car and that driven by Rwodzi’s son Chengetai.
Further allegations are that when Cheza arrived at the accident scene, he allegedly shouted at the then aspiring legislator demanding to know why she wanted to kill CCC supporters yet she had won in the harmonised elections.
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Cheza, it is alleged, instructed the four to attack Rwodzi, whom they are said to have indiscriminately assaulted.
