Zimbabwe: vice-president’s wife ‘too ill’ to flee trial

Lawyers for Marry Mubaiwa, the estranged wife of Zimbabwe’s Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, have argued she is too ill to flee the country and should be freed on bail to get medical attention. 

Ms Mabaiwa is currently in custody, facing charges for the attempted murder of her husband during his hospital treatment in South Africa. She also faces charges for fraud and money laundering. She has plead not guilty to all charges. 

Lawyers say she is in “visible poor health, being visibly traumatised and having lost a considerable amount of weight”. They argue she should be freed on bail and allowed order to recover. 

Ms Mubaiwa was present at a rally in Bulawayo in June 2018 when a grenade went off. She sustained minor injuries at the time, according to Reuters. 

She was initially arrested on 14th December on allegations of fraud. Later she was charged with attempting to kill her husband by removing his intravenous drip while he was receiving treatment in Pretoria.  

Photo credit: Benin Web TV