Comedienne Felistas ‘Mai TT’ Murata found herself in hot water again this week, facing a US$30 fine for defaulting on a court appearance.
The popular socialite claimed her absence was due to attending her father’s funeral, but the court was unconvinced by her explanation, especially in the absence of any documentation to support her claim.
The incident unfolded when Mai Titi appeared in court seeking to have an arrest warrant issued against her two weeks ago cancelled. She submitted that she had been unable to attend the court hearing on August 19 because she was attending her father’s burial.
However, despite the widely reported news of her father’s death on social media and in various news outlets, Mai Titi failed to provide any documentation to substantiate her claim.
Her lawyer, Tafadzwa Muvhami, argued that although she lacked documentation such as a death certificate or burial order, the funeral was widely publicised and she wasn’t in wilful default.
However, Harare magistrate Lynn Chizhou remained unconvinced, ruling that Mai Titi had developed a habit of defaulting court, as this was the second time this month.
“On a sad note Spirit Filled International Ministries and the Murata family has lost a Father, Uncle, Leader, Hero, prayer warrior and a loving friend. The church has lost a great leader but the heavens have gained fly high soldier Murata and MAY HIS SOUL REST IN ETERNAL PEACE. May the Holy Spirit comfort the Murata family, the Visionary’s family and the church at large,” Apostle Dr Bwanya wrote in his statement.
The court, however, appeared unconvinced by Mai TT’s explanation for her absence, leading to the imposition of the fine.
Moreover, the court heard that Murata had developed a habit of defaulting court as this was the second time this month and therefore confirmed the warrant.”
Meanwhile, the court case against Melissa Munyorove, in which Mai Titi is the complainant, is set to continue.
The case involves allegations of perjury, stemming from an affidavit sworn by Munyorove claiming to have served summons to Mai Titi, despite not actually doing so. The matter came to light when the messenger of court went to Mai Titi’s place to attach property as per a default judgment, which was later discovered to be based on a false affidavit.
That is when the she got to know about the default judgement which was made by the courts. In following up on the matter Murata discovered the said affidavit and went on to pay the money US$3 140 she owed to avoid her property being attached.
Although she had already paid US$1 100 as per agreement they had made. The trial is expected to commence today.
This incident is not the first time Mai Titi has faced legal troubles. In June last year, she was sentenced to one year behind bars for fraud and theft of trust property, but was ordered to serve an effective six months in prison after the presiding magistrate suspended six months of the sentence on condition she does not commit a similar offence.
She also had to serve an additional three months for defaulting on community service for a previous assault conviction.
The High Court overturned both her conviction and sentence for the fraud charges, after the National Prosecuting Authority conceded that the trial magistrate had erred in convicting her.
“We pursued the appeal and the State made a concession that the conviction in the lower court was not proper and the High Court now accepted the concession that was filed by the State which means the conviction that had been made by the lower has now been set aside by the High Court on appeal. Felistus Murata is a free person now,” said her lawyer at the time, Admire Masango.
This latest incident involving the fine for missing court is a reminder of Mai Titi’s ongoing legal battles. While she has faced significant challenges in the past, her resilience and determination have seen her navigate through these difficult situations. It remains to be seen how she will navigate this latest legal hurdle and what impact it will have on her career.
