I was avenging homes demolition: Bomber

via I was avenging homes demolition: Bomber – NewZimbabwe 09/02/2016

ZIMBABWE People’s Front president, Owen Kuchata has been caged nine years for attempting to bomb the First Family’s dairy farm and money laundering.

Kuchata was initially sentenced to nine years imprisonment for terrorism but one year was suspended on condition he does not commit the same offence in nine years.

For the second count, Kuchata was sentenced to two years imprisonment of which one will be served concurrently with the first sentence.

The once arrogant president became dull and frequently pleaded for leniency after he told court that he only wanted to avenge the current house demolitions.

“I wanted him (President Robert Mugabe) to also experience how it feels to have his private property demolished just as the way people who had their houses demolished felt,” he told court.

“I noticed how Zimbabweans are suffering and thought by bombing his private property he will also feel the pain. People in Zimbabwe are suffering; there are no jobs, people are being fired from work, there are shortages of medication in hospitals,” Kuchata said.

He added, “When I thought of petrol bombing his private property it was a way of telling president that this is how Zimbabweans were suffering. I thought he was going to stop the demolitions. I believed that if I had managed to bomb Alpha Omega dairy he was going to realise how people were suffering and stop demolitions.

Kuchata went on to deny coup charges, saying his actions were a way of communication.

“I did not want to remove the President from power; I just wanted him to feel the pain. We were going to leave flyers at the scene which bore the name of our party and the name of the leader which is me. On the flyers we had written “Ichi chichiratidzo chirikutaura kurwadziwa kurikuita  vana veZimbabwe pakupwanyirwa kwavarikuita dzimba dzavo. (“This is to show how Zimbabweans are suffering following demolitions of their houses’)

Magistrate Hosea Mujaya asked him if the way he wanted change in Zimbabwe was proper to which he replied, that he only realised it was an offence after his arrest.

Kuchata also said he was protesting against corruption which has become rife in the country.

He went on to implicate Goodwills Masirembwa, Happison  Muchechetere, Cuthbert Dube whom he said were never tried or arrested.

He said his accomplices Solomon Makumbe and Silas Pfupa are the ones who made the bombs using their military background and knowledge.

The two are Zimbabwe National Army intelligence operatives.

The trio also worked with one Borman Ngwenya, an ex-army officer.

Kuchata pleaded for court’s leniency after the magistrate told him his offence could attract life imprisonment.

“I plead for forgiveness. I will never repeat it again and have come to realise that what I did was wrong. I’m a father of one and the sole breadwinner also looking after my parents.”

In aggravation, prosecutor Michael Reza said 25 years would meet the justice of the offence. “This charge is so serious that the legislature found it appropriate that the maximum sentence be life in jail. An effective of 20 years may save the interest of justice if given lenient sentence the public can be like minded and go scot free.”

However Mujaya ruled that 20 years was too harsh.

Government has, for the past few months, been destroying houses built on undesignated areas in and around Harare. January saw the destruction of homes built along the Harare International Airport road at Mugabe’s orders.