In brief
The former wife of Zimbabwe’s vice‑president, Marry Mubaiwa, has been freed from remand after a seven‑year ordeal tied to an attempted murder charge against her ex‑husband, General Constantino Chiwenga. A magistrate cited mental, physical and financial prejudice during the long trial and ruled that the state’s request for a month’s postponement multiplied the delays. The lawyer praised the ruling as a victory, despite the lack of bail, and warned that the state could seek a new trial. Mubaiwa celebrated her release outside the Harare courthouse, claiming justice had prevailed. The case underscores the fraught political climate following Chiwenga’s role in toppling former President Robert Mugabe in 2017.
The former wife of Zimbabwe’s vice‑president, Marry Mubaiwa, was freed from remand after a legal ordeal that spanned seven years.
Mubaiwa was charged in 2019 when her ex‑husband, General Constantino Chiwenga, alleged that she had tried to obstruct his medical treatment while he was in South Africa.
After a magistrate found that the prolonged trial had inflicted mental, physical and financial harm on the former bride‑groom, the court granted her release.
The judge also ruled that the state’s request to postpone the trial by a month—so it could secure witnesses—had contributed to the delays.
Mubaiwa’s lawyer celebrated the ruling as a “victory” that, while delayed, had respected the defendant’s rights and warned that if the state pursued a new trial they would be prepared to fight it.
The accusations stemmed from an alleged attempt on Chiwenga’s life while he was hospitalized in Pretoria, a period that later saw him seek treatment in China for four months.
Despite being denied bail and remaining in custody, Mubaiwa celebrated her release outside the Harare courthouse, chanting that justice had finally been served and praising her lawyer.
The case underscores the fraught political climate in Zimbabwe, where Chiwenga played a pivotal role in removing former president Robert Mugabe from power in 2017.
