The case of two suspects accused of attempting to bomb President Robert Mugabe’s Alpha Omega Dairies has taken a new twist after the duo told the Constitutional Court (Con-Court) that they are members of the Military Intelligence unit.
Senior army officials Charles Mashava, the director military intelligence and his deputy Rangarirai Kembo, said in their court affidavits that they were carrying out a task assigned to them by the Defence Forces unit.
Their co-accused are Solomon Makumbe, 30, who is a serving member of the Zimbabwe National Army and Silas Pfupa, 38, an ex-soldier.
They are all charged with possession of weaponry for sabotage, banditry and terrorism.
They were initially jointly charged with another soldier Borman Ngwenya, who was acquitted in May last year and Owen Kuchata, leader of the Zimbabwe People’s Front Party (ZPFP), who has since been jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to the offence.
However, Makumbe and Pfupa, who are represented by Lewis Uriri from The Temple Bar, said in their heads of argument: “Following their infiltration of ZPFP, applicants learnt of ZPFP’s plans to bomb Gushungo Dairy and alerted their controllers at military intelligence, who in turn alerted other security agents namely the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Central Intelligence Organisation.
“A joint services team comprising CID Law and Order officers, Central Intelligence Organisation and military intelligence officers was constituted to monitor and neutralise the ZPFP plan,” the court heard.
The two were only arrested together with the others so as not to blow their cover, with the arrangement being that they would be released soon after.
However, this was not to be, as the police went on to charge them, before the then prosecutor-general Johannes Tomana declined to prosecute them.
