Mai TT sentence postponed

Yeukai Karengezeka

Court Correspondent

The sentencing of popular comedienne Felistus Murata, also known as Mai TT, on a charge of theft of trust property of a hired car was postponed to today by Harare magistrate Mrs Munashe Chibanda pending a report from the community service department about a possible skipping of past community service, that time for assault. 

This comes after the community service department said their records indicated Murata once defaulted on community service following a past conviction where a jail term was suspended so long as she undertook approved and supervised community service. 

“We have received new information from the community service department after her vetting that Murata was once convicted of assault and was supposed to serve community service but defaulted. Therefore, the State applies that she be remanded (in custody) to Friday to give enough time for the community service department to do its investigations,” said prosecutor Ms Monalisa Magwenzi. 

However, Mrs Chibanda ruled that she will deliver her sentence this afternoon in the expectation that the community service department would have completed its findings.

In mitigation, Murata’s lawyer Mr Admire Masango said her client was a single mother, the breadwinner of her two children, had dependents and was HIV positive. 

The State led by Mrs Monalisa Magwenzi proved that Murata hired a Mercedes Benz from Else Event Car Hire last year and handed the vehicle over as collateral for a US$10 000 loan to Ms Rachel Mhuka. Despite knowing that the hired vehicle was accumulating charges, she went to the United States without returning it to the owner. 

She then came back to Zimbabwe after her visa was cancelled, claimed back the Mercedes Benz saying it did not belong to her and handed over another vehicle, an Audi Q5. That vehicle was also hired. 

She again reclaimed this vehicle and replaced with an invalid passport as surety. 

When Ms Mhuka realised that the passport was invalid, she confronted Murata who immediately sent back the second vehicle as security, the stolen Audi. 

But in January this year, police from Rhodesville approached Ms Mhuka and seized the car saying it had been stolen from Else Event Car Hire. 

This was after the company, represented by Liberty Vazhura, reported Murata for theft of trust property. The vehicle worth US$18 000 was recovered.