HARARE – Former police detective Tafadzwa “Kedha” Chidawa broke down in tears in court this week, leading to an adjournment in his trial for the alleged theft of US$20,000 from Melody Matanhire, a married woman who was reportedly in an adulterous relationship with one of Chidawa’s co-accused.
Chidawa, who is currently locked up after his bail was cancelled for failing to appear in court for over a year, will remain in custody as his defence case continues to drag on.
The State alleges that Chidawa and his accomplices, Paradza Passmore Matubu, Perseverance Chisango, Malvern Mutanda (who is still on the run), and Francis Takura (already serving a 36-year prison sentence for unrelated robberies), conspired to steal the money from Matanhire in 2020.
According to State papers, on August 27, 2020, Matanhire and Mutanda proceeded to Blue Ridge Lodge, where they were supposedly going to clean the money. Unbeknownst to her, Mutanda had allegedly hatched a plan with Chidawa, Takura, Matubu, and Chisango to steal from her.
The court heard that Matanhire handed over the money to Mutanda, who then put it in a cooler box for the cleaning process to commence. The other accomplices allegedly entered the lodge masquerading as police officers, manhandled Mutanda, and made off with the cooler box containing the US$20,000.
The crime was discovered when Matanhire tried to fake a robbery to disguise the loss to her husband.
During his testimony, Chidawa expressed shock and disbelief that his police identification card was found in Takura’s car, particularly as he had surrendered it to the administration at CID Highlands upon resigning from the police force. He told Chief Magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti Guriro that he only knew Takura as a former colleague at ZRP.
Takura, who is serving a 36-year jail term after being convicted of armed robbery, also took to the stand and denied ever being at the lodge. He exonerated Chidawa, accusing the police of planting the documents in his car. “I was arrested in the Central Business District but police drove my car to Highlands police station and I only signed a seizure for the vehicle because when they searched my car they did not find anything,” he said. Takura told the court that the police linked him to the offence because he was the friend of Mutanda, who is currently on the run.
Chidawa was quizzed why he failed to give an alibi to show where he was on the day the crime was committed. He told the court that he was also surprised how the identity card had left the police station, where he had surrendered it upon resigning from the police force.
Chidawa also told the court that Matanhire lied to her husband of 21 years that the money was stolen when she was spending the money with her boyfriend. He argued that the complainant ( Matanhire) was also tried for the same offence (theft) and she was sentenced. “I never took US$20,000 which belongs to Matanhire, I don’t know her and there is no proof to show that I met her,” he said.
During cross-examination by prosecutor Takudzwa Jambawu, the court heard that Chidawa produced a police identification card although he was no longer in service. Jambawu told the court that Chidawa’s police identity card was found in Takura’s vehicle, which was at a lodge in Murewa.
The prosecutor further averred that the assertion that Chidawa was part of the syndicate as the driver was never challenged after Patrick Soroti testified before the court. Jambawu said guards at the lodge in Murewa positively identified Chidawa’s identity card, but the private investigator objected, arguing that the witnesses had been coached. The prosecutor also submitted that Chidawa was placed at the crime scene by the witness, who even identified the clothes he was wearing on the alleged date.
Chidawa broke down into tears on Friday, prompting Chief Magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti Guwuriro to adjourn the matter to today for continuation. The hearing continued today.
