Source: Kereke frets over intrusive questions – NewsDay Zimbabwe April 28, 2016
BIKITA West MP Munyaradzi Kereke’s attempt to block private prosecutor Charles Warara from asking personal questions during cross-examination yesterday fell flat after the presiding magistrate dismissed the application.
BY PAIDAMOYO MUZULU
Kereke is on trial at the Harare Magistrates’ Court on charges of raping and indecently assaulting his two minor nieces at his Vainona home in 2010. Kereke sought the court’s intervention when Warara asked him how many wives he had.
The Zanu PF MP protested that the line of questioning was intruding into his private life and therefore trampling on his rights. However, presiding magistrate Noel Mupeiwa overruled the objection.
“His (Kereke’s) character can be attacked because he exposed himself during his evidence-in-chief by attacking others. I don’t see what right has been trampled, so he should answer the question,” Mupeiwa ruled.
Kereke was left with no option, but to tell the court he was a polygamist currently with three wives. Warara then went ahead to ask how many times Kereke had been married in his life.
Kereke said he has been married five times, but has since been divorced from two of the wives.
Kereke became evasive on questions relating to how he got the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) firearm he allegedly used to threaten one of the complaints and how he returned it.
Kereke told the court that RBZ head of the finance intelligence unit, Mirirai Chiremba, brought the gun to his office and made him sign in a gun register. He also said that he returned the gun to the bank.
However, Warara reminded Kereke that at the material time he did not challenge the evidence of Chiremba and RBZ head of security Gresham Muradzikwa about the firearm.
Kereke in response said he did not find it necessary then since he was going to have his time on the witness stand.
Kereke said the bank gave him the firearm because of his duties at the bank particularly during the Sunrise project. The Sunrise project was when the RBZ removed zeroes from the Zimdollar during the late 2000s hyperinflationary period.
On another point, Kereke denied that he was the finance secretary at his apostolic sect. He said the financial matters of the two only intertwined after he subdivided his farm and gave the other half to the church.
The trial continues today as the prosecution continues to cross-examine Kereke.
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