VICE-President Constantino Chiwenga’s former wife Mary Mubaiwa, suffered a setback last Friday after a Harare magistrate Feresi Chakanyuka dismissed her application for permanent stay of prosecution for health reasons.
Mubaiwa last week filed an application to stay her prosecution due to poor health.
Mubaiwa has been ill for over four years and has already lost two limbs – her right hand and left leg to lymphodema.
She is on trial for allegedly attempting to kill the former army commander when he was sick at a hospital in South Africa.
Mubaiwa is also facing money laundering charges, but her criminal cases have taken long due to her poor health.
In her ruling, Chakanyuka blamed Mubaiwa for the delays in concluding the cases as she accused her of filing several applications for postponements.
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“The permanent stay of prosecution is not the remedy to deal with the case,” Chakanyuka said.
“Rather, investigations shall be conducted for us to understand the reason for the delay."
She said the repeated postponements, initiated by Mubaiwa had prejudiced the complainant, who is eager to see the case concluded.
Mubaiwa’s lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa said her client was not fit for trial.
“The applicant’s health has materially deteriorated to an extent that it would not be in the interests of justice to persist with the criminal prosecution,” she said.
During previous sessions, former Health and Child Care deputy minister John Mangwiro accused Mubaiwa of feigning ill health.
Mangwiro said this while being cross-examined by Mtetwa.
He claimed that it was suprising that Mubaiwa’s health would deteriorate each time. The matter was postponed to December 4 for trial continuation .
Chiwenga is said to have divorced Mubaiwa in 2019 by paying a traditional token of US$100, which was handed over to her by army commander Anselem Sanyatwe.