FUGITIVE Gweru businessman Peter Dube who is accused of double murder and other two attempted murder charges appeared before Gweru provincial magistrate Ms Beaulity Dube virtually for further remand.
Following proceedings from Whawha Prison Complex, which is situated 23km outside Gweru along Mvuma Road, the accused has been remanded in custody to May 2 but could apply for bail at the High Court.
Since February this year, persons accused of murder such as Dube are no longer brought to court
“The accused is remanded to May 2 for further remand,” said Ms Dube.
Some of his relatives and friends who had hoped to see him in court were visibly left dejected after learning that Peter will appear in a virtual court.
The accused has been on the run for nearly three years after allegedly gunning down four people including his wife and her alleged boyfriend, killing two on the spot in a suspected case of a love triangle.
In his warned and cautioned statement, Dube denied all the allegations after advice from his legal practitioner of choice, Mrs Tuso Maputsenyika of Mhaka Attorneys.
Dube, who is a known car dealer, allegedly shot dead his wife’s suspected lover Shelton Chiduku of Kwekwe and his wife’s best friend Gamuchirai Mudungwe.
He then allegedly turned the gun on his wife Nyasha and her sister Nyaradzo but the two survived the shooting.
Prosecutor, Ms Hellen Khoza said on April 22, 2021 at around 11AM, Chiduku, Mudungwe, Nyasha and Nyaradzo allegedly went to Masvingo to collect the latter’s passport.
Peter, the court heard, who had married Nyasha as a second wife, got wind that the four had gone to Masvingo without his knowledge and this did not go down well with him since he was suspecting infidelity between his wife and Chiduku.
At around 8PM the same day, Peter allegedly armed himself with a Zastara pistol and proceeded to number 11, Bensam Flats, Main Street in Gweru where Nyasha resided.
Since Peter suspected Nyasha of having an affair with Chiduku, an altercation ensued, which prompted him to go downstairs and shoot Chiduku who was seated on the driver’s seat of a Toyota Hiace once on the front left shoulder and he died instantly.
The court heard that Mudungwe who was downstairs with Chiduku tried to run up the stairs before Peter shot her once on the left cheek near the nose and she collapsed and died instantly at the bottom of the stairs.
After allegedly murdering Chiduku and Mudugwe, Peter went upstairs to number 11 Bensam Flats where Nyasha and Nyaradzo were.
The court heard that the accused allegedly shot Nyasha once on the right cheek and the bullet protruded to the left side of her neck, removed her right molar tooth and landed on the upper side of her shoulder.
After shooting Nyasha, Peter allegedly turned on Nyaradzo before shooting her once above the left ear and the bullet protruded through and raptured her right eye.
Nyasha and Nyaradzo are lucky to be alive as they were ferried to Gweru Provincial Hospital where surgeons successfully operated on them before they were discharged.
After the incident, Dube allegedly fled to South Africa, before relocating to Eswatini, where he changed his identity.
Dube then travelled to Ireland, where he was arrested in Dublin last year for violating the country’s immigration laws.
He was allegedly using a fake identity and when he was arrested in Dublin, he refused to be deported to Zimbabwe claiming that he was a Mozambican citizen named Armando Quenete Muchanga.
The accused was then deported to Mozambique and authorities there established that he was, indeed, a Zimbabwean. They deported him to this country.
