Felix
Mhona,
the
Minister
of
Transport
and
Infrastructural
Development,
has
suspended
Urban
Connect
Holdings
Pvt
Ltd
from
operating
all
of
its
omnibuses
on
all
routes
for
six
months
following
a
fatal
road
accident
that
resulted
in
the
deaths
of
25
people
and
serious
injuries
to
several
others.
The
accident
occurred
on
13
February
2025
at
the
263
km
peg
along
the
Masvingo
–
Beitbridge
Road.
In
a
statement,
Mhona
said
Urban
Connect
was
not
in
compliance
with
the
country’s
road
traffic
and
safety
management
regulations,
prompting
the
decision
to
suspend
the
company’s
operations
temporarily.
Said
Mhona:
The
bus
registration
number
AGL2474
belonging
to
this
Company
did
not
have
a
valid
Passenger
Insurance
Policy
as
prescribed
under
Section
38(b)(1)
of
the
Road
Traffic
Act
[Chapter
13:11].
In
addition,
the
vehicle
did
not
have
a
valid
Route
Permit
as
prescribed
in
Section
12
of
the
Road
Motor
Transportation
Act
[Chapter
13:15].
Similarly,
our
inference
is
that
the
driver
of
this
bus
was
not
compliant
with
the
Re-Test
requirement
prescribed
under
Section
5
of
Statutory
Instrument
168
of
2006.
The
above
violations
by
the
bus
operator
are
a
serious
breach
of
the
terms
and
conditions
of
the
operator’s
license
issued
to
the
Company
for
it
to
operate
in
Zimbabwe.
Informed
by
the
foregoing
violations,
I
have
directed
the
Commissioner
of
Road
Motor
Transportation
to
invoke
provisions
of
Section
17(b)(i)
of
the
Road
Motor
Transportation
Act
[Chapter
13:15]
and
suspend,
with
immediate
effect,
Urban
Connect
(Pvt)
Ltd
from
operating
all
its
omnibuses
in
all
the
routes
for
a
period
of
six
months
as
we
further
investigate.
Mhona
also
warned
all
transport
operators,
associations,
motorists,
and
the
public
that
the
Ministry
will
take
strict
action,
as
outlined
by
law,
against
those
who
flagrantly
violate
road
traffic
rules
and
regulations.
Health
and
Child
Care
Minister,
Douglas
Mombeshora,
assured
the
public
that
Zimbabwe
has
enough
stock
of
anti-retroviral
(ARV)
drugs
to
last
for
the
next
six
months.
Heap
of
medicine
pills.
Close
up
of
colorful
tablets
and
capsules
He
also
said
that
efforts
to
procure
additional
supplies
to
cover
the
remainder
of
the
year
are
already
underway.
Mombeshora
made
the
remarks
during
Wednesday’s
question
time
in
the
National
Assembly,
where
lawmakers
raised
concerns
following
the
global
suspension
of
development
and
humanitarian
aid
by
former
U.S.
President
Donald
Trump.
The
minister
said
the
Government
is
committed
to
safeguarding
the
country’s
progress
in
combating
HIV
and
AIDS.
He
said:
We
are
doing
everything
to
ensure
that
we
don’t
reverse
the
gains
we
have
made
in
the
fight
against
HIV
and
AIDS.
As
a
matter
of
policy,
we
already
have
supplies
of
the
ARVs
for
the
next
six
months
and
procurement
processes
to
get
drugs
that
will
last
until
the
end
of
the
year
is
already
underway.
Mombeshora
added
that
even
if
the
U.S.
government
were
to
reverse
its
policy,
it
would
not
impact
the
contingency
measures
implemented
by
the
Government. He
said:
We
will
soon
come
to
this
August
House
seeking
your
support
for
additional
funding
to
ensure
that
there
are
no
disruptions
in
the
supply
of
the
drugs.
Mombeshora
revealed
that
31
per
cent
of
the
country’s
ARVs
were
procured
through
U.S.
funding,
while
the
remainder
were
purchased
by
the
Government
through
the
National
Aids
Council
and
other
development
partners.
Zimbabwe
achieved
the
95-95-95
targets
in
2022,
which
aim
to
ensure
that
95
per
cent
of
people
living
with
HIV
are
aware
of
their
status,
95
per
cent
are
receiving
treatment,
and
95
per
cent
of
those
on
treatment
have
a
suppressed
viral
load.
Tshabangu
appeared
before
the
party’s
National
Disciplinary
Committee
on
February
12,
2025,
where
he
was
charged
with
four
counts
of
misconduct
relating
to
his
actions
between
November
and
December
2024.
According
to
a
statement
from
CCC
spokesperson
Willias
Madzimure
issued
on
Wednesday,
19
February,
the
charges
stemmed
from
Tshabangu’s
decision
to
unilaterally
alter
the
party’s
Parliamentary
Portfolio
without
the
approval
of
the
President
or
any
other
authorized
organ
of
the
party.
In
addition,
Tshabangu
was
accused
of
making
derogatory
public
remarks
about
acting
president
Welshman
Ncube
after
he
had
already
been
suspended
from
the
party.
Madzimure
said
Tshabangu’s
actions
violated
Clause
9.1.2.3
of
the
CCC
Constitution,
which
outlines
the
party’s
rules
and
regulations.
He
further
condemned
Tshabangu’s
behaviour,
stating
that
it
had
damaged
the
party’s
reputation
and
shown
a
“brazen
defiance”
of
the
authority
of
Ncube,
as
well
as
other
key
party
organs,
including
the
National
Standing
Committee,
National
Executive
Committee,
and
National
Council.
Tshabangu,
who
was
represented
by
party
legislator
and
lawyer
Kucaca
Phulu
during
the
hearing,
was
found
guilty
on
all
four
charges.
Said
Madzimure:
Having
found
Sengezo
Tshabangu
guilty
of
all
the
charges,
and
having
regard
to
the
gravity
of
the
acts
of
misconduct
of
which
the
Committee
convicted
him,
the
Committee
decided
to
sentence
him
to
expulsion
from
the
party
with
immediate
effect.
Everyone
knows
that
TROs
aren’t
immediately
appealable.
What
this
appeal
assumes
is…
maybe
they
are?
The
Trump
DOJ
has
taken
an
unorthodox
procedural
stance
with
respect
to
interlocutory
appeals.
They
seem
to
be
under
the
impression
that
they’re
able
to
lodge
them
at
any
point
when
a
judge
issues
a
ruling
they
don’t
like.
For
people
who
spend
so
much
time
shitting
on
New
York,
they
sure
are
keen
to
co-opt
its
procedures!
This
morning
the
government
filed
a
notice
of
appeal
to
the
DC
Circuit
in
Harris
v.
Bessent,
a
case
where
a
recently-fired
member
of
the
Merit
System
Protection
Board
is
contesting
her
termination.
Trial
Judge
Rudolph
Contreras
issued
a
temporary
restraining
order
just
two
days
ago
and
scheduled
the
hearing
on
the
motion
for
preliminary
injunction
on
March
3,
inside
the
14-day
statutory
period.
And
yet
the
government
is
now
demanding
both
that
the
DC
Circuit
pay
attention
to
it
TODAY,
and
that
Judge
Contreras
stay
his
own
order
that
Cathy
Harris
be
reinstated,
which
they
call
an
“extraordinary
intrusion
into
the
President’s
authority.”
This
is
part
of
a
pattern
from
the
new
administration,
which
takes
the
position
that
the
Federal
Rules
of
Civil
Procedure
don’t
really
apply
to
the
president
and
his
minions.
On
February
10,
they
noticed
an
appeal
of
Judge
John
McConnell’s
January
31
TRO
blocking
Trump’s
blanket
ban
on
federal
spending
that
makes
his
ass
itch.
In
that
case,
the
First
Circuit
seemed
highly
dubious
that
they
had
jurisdiction
over
something
that
wasn’t
even
decided
at
the
District
Court
level,
but,
assuming
arguendo
that
they
did,
rejected
the
motion.
Most
egregiously,
the
administration
immediately
appealed
an
administrative
stay
imposed
by
Judge
Amy
Berman
Jackson
on
February
10
in
the
case
of
Hampton
Dellinger,
the
head
of
the
Office
of
Special
Counsel,
who
was
also
fired
in
violation
of
the
statute.
The
DC
Circuit
dismissed
that
appeal
for
lack
of
jurisdiction,
although
Judge
Gregory
Katsas
allowed
himself
a
lengthy
concurrence
in
which
he
rubbished
Dellinger’s
claim
while
simultaneously
expressing
“no
view
on
the
appealability
or
merits
of
any
later
order
granting
interim
relief
to
Dellinger.”
Judge
Jackson
issued
a
TRO
on
February
12,
and
the
government
appealed
again
on
the
13th,
requesting
either
a
stay
of
the
trial
judge’s
order
or
that
the
appeals
court
treat
the
motion
as
a
petition
for
mandamus.
The
case
went
to
the
same
panel,
and
again
Judge
Michelle
Childs
and
Florence
Pan
tossed
it
for
being
totally
out
of
order.
“Because
it
would
be
inconsistent
with
governing
legal
standards
and
ill-advised
to
hold
that
a
TRO
is
appealable
based
solely
on
unsubstantiated
claims
of
‘extraordinary
harm’
for
fourteen
days,
we
decline
to
treat
the
TRO
as
an
appealable
injunction,”
they
wrote.
“Nor
has
the
government
established
its
entitlement
to
the
extraordinary
remedy
of
mandamus.”
This
time,
Judge
Katsas
penned
an
eleven-page
dissent
explaining
that
“the
President
is
immune
from
injunctions
directing
the
performance
of
his
official
duties,
and
Article
II
of
the
Constitution
grants
him
the
power
to
remove
agency
heads.”
This
works
from
the
assumption
that
Humphrey’s
Executor,
the
1935
Supreme
Court
case
which
allowed
for
statutory
protections
for
executive
branch
officers
is
fully
dead,
instead
of
just
mostly
dead
after
Seila
Law.
Which
it
might
be!
But
as
the
Supreme
Court
hasn’t
actually
made
it
official
yet,
it
seems
a
bit
presumptuous
to
treat
it
as
a
fait
accompli.
Defendants’
position
is
that
the
statutory
restrictions
on
the
Special
Counsel’s
removal
are
unconstitutional.
They
are
eager
to
have
that
issue
heard
and
resolved
by
a
higher
court.
They
will
have
that
opportunity
in
due
course,
but
first,
the
issue
has
to
be
fully
briefed
in
this
Court,
where
the
case
is
pending.
There
has
to
be
a
hearing,
and
this
Court
has
to
issue
an
appealable
order.
And
indeed,
the
government
is
so
“eager
to
have
that
issue
heard”
that
it
has
now
stomped
into
the
Supreme
Court
and
demanded
an
administrative
stay
of
the
trial
judge’s
TRO.
John
Sauer,
President
Trump’s
personal
lawyer,
has
not
yet
been
confirmed.
But
acting
SG
Sarah
Harris
was
not
subtle
about
asking
the
Court’s
conservatives
to
declare
the
president
above
the
law
the
way
they
did
in
July:
This
case
involves
an
unprecedented
assault
on
the
separation
of
powers
that
warrants
immediate
relief.
As
this
Court
observed
just
last
Term,
“Congress
cannot
act
on,
and
courts
cannot
examine,
the
President’s
actions
on
subjects
within
his
‘conclusive
and
preclusive’
constitutional
authority”—including
“the
President’s
‘unrestricted
power
of
removal’
with
respect
to
‘executive
officers
of
the
United
States
whom
[the
President]
has
appointed.’”
Trump
v.
United
States,
603
U.S.
593,
609
(2024)
(citation
omitted).
As
to
such
principal
officers—“the
most
important
of
his
subordinates”—“[t]he
President’s
‘management
of
the
Executive
Branch’
requires
him
to
have
‘unrestricted
power
to
remove’
them
‘in
their
most
important
duties.’”
Id.
at
621
(citation
omitted).
Enjoining
the
President
and
preventing
him
from
exercising
these
powers
thus
inflicts
the
gravest
of
injuries
on
the
Executive
Branch
and
the
separation
of
powers.
Perhaps
counting
on
the
justices’
long
separation
from
the
slums
of
trial
practice
and
amnesia
regarding
FRCP
65,
Harris
affected
indignation
that
“The
court
set
that
TRO
to
last
a
full
14
days
and
specified
that
a
hearing
on
an
‘appealable’
order
would
not
be
held
until
February
26.”
As
of
this
writing,
the
Court
has
offered
no
relief.
But
this
aggrieved
flopping
worked
for
Sauer
the
last
time
so
…
who
even
knows.
HARARE
–
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa
has
ordered
the
sale
of
the
People’s
Own
Savings
Bank
(POSB)
to
a
consortium
fronted
by
Zanu
PF-supporting
cleric
Morris
Brown
Gwedegwe,
against
advice
from
the
Zimbabwe
Investment
and
Development
Agency
which
questioned
the
source
of
funds
for
his
Hebrew
Investment
Group,
ZimLive
can
reveal.
The
POSB,
now
under
the
Mutapa
Investment
Fund,
is
one
of
at
least
eight
loss-making
parastatals
the
government
has
put
up
for
sale.
Instead
of
a
public
process
to
invite
bids
for
POSB,
Mnangagwa
–
through
attorney
general
Virginia
Mabiza
–
handpicked
Hebrew
Investment
Group
as
the
investment
partner.
Under
the
terms
of
the
deal,
Hebrew
Investment
Group
will
take
up
70
percent
shareholding
in
POSB
by
contributing
US$70
million
of
the
US$100
million
required
to
capitalise
the
bank.
The
government
of
Zimbabwe
will
remain
with
a
10
percent
stake
financed
through
existing
POSB
assets
while
the
other
$20
million
for
a
20
percent
stake
will
come
from
private
individuals.
A
joint
venture
agreement
signed
between
Mabiza
and
Hebrew
Investment
Group
CEO
Professor
Emile
Kue
on
December
18,
2024,
also
says
Hebrew
Investment
Group
will
advance
the
government
of
Zimbabwe
a
US$6
billion
loan
to
be
repayed
over
30
years.
The
loan
will
attract
interest
of
0.3
percent
per
annum
and
it
is
to
be
repaid
through
the
government’s
dividends
from
its
POSB
shareholding.
ZimLive
understands
ZIDA
questioned
the
company’s
source
of
funds
and
tried
to
stall
the
signing
of
the
joint
venture
agreement,
but
Mnangagwa
and
Mabiza
railroaded
it
through.
Professor
Emile
Kue
is
described
as
CEO
of
the
Hebrew
Investment
Group
Professor
Israel
Kodiaga
is
vice
president
of
the
Hebrew
Investment
Group
In
a
February
13,
2025,
letter
to
the
POSB
CEO
and
board,
Mabiza
introduced
Hebrew
Investment
Group
as
“our
joint
venture
partners
with
the
government
of
Zimbabwe
in
support
of
President
E.D.
Mnangagwa’s
socio-economic
development
plan.”
Mabiza
said
Hebrew
Investment
Group
representatives
Gwedegwe,
CEO
Kue
and
the
company’s
vice
president
Professor
Israel
Kodiaga
would
visit
POSB
on
a
familiarisation
tour.
She
directed
POSB
to,
among
other
things,
allow
for
a
“first
hand
examination
of
the
bank’s
vaults
which
are
intended
to
be
used
for
direct
monetisation
by
the
Hebrew
Investment
Group.”
Gwedegwe
is
a
former
Anglican
bishop
kicked
out
of
the
church
over
alleged
embezzlement
of
funds.
He
was
sworn
in
as
a
member
of
the
Zimbabwe
Defence
Commission
by
Mnangagwa
in
May
2019.
Last
year,
the
Zimbabwe
Council
of
Churches
disassociated
itself
from
Gwedegwe
after
he
attended
the
Zanu
PF
annual
conference
in
Bulawayo
claiming
to
be
representing
the
council.
Not
much
is
known
about
Professor
Emile
Kue.
A
native
of
Ethiopia,
he
is
described
online
as
the
president
of
the
National
Association
of
Hebrews
in
the
United
States,
based
in
Texas.
A
website
under
development
also
links
him
to
a
“Proposed
Hebrew
Federal
Credit
Union…
designed
to
control
the
US$1.9
trillion
spending
power
of
the
black
community
in
the
United
States
for
the
future
of
the
next
generation.”
Professor
Kodiaga,
meanwhile,
is
a
Kenyan
national
who
says
on
his
LinkedIn
that
he
is
the
director
general
of
African
affairs
at
Global
Unification
International
based
in
Queensland,
Australia.
He
says
he
provides
“leadership,
co-coordinating
research,
training
and
consultancy
on
African
governance,
peace
and
security
architecture”
in
the
role.
A
Google
search
for
“Hebrew
Investment
Group”
yielded
no
results.
Social
activist
Jealousy
Mawarire
claims
the
new
POSB
investors
are
“bogus”
and
says
Mnangagwa’s
role
in
the
transaction
smacks
of
corruption.
“One
guy
is
a
bogus
investor
in
the
United
States
(Prof
Kue)
who
set
up
Twitter
and
Facebook
accounts
in
2020
which
are
inactive,
and
he
gets
a
presidential
directive
written
in
his
name
and
bank
vaults
are
opened
to
criminals,”
Mawarire
said
in
an
interview
with
HStv
“The
president
has
a
finance
minister,
but
he
instructs
the
establishment
of
parallel
structures.
“If
the
president
did
not
apply
his
mind
before
authorising
this
transaction,
it
speaks
volumes
of
his
cognitive
state.
It
means
he
is
no
longer
fit
for
office.”
Questions
left
for
attorney
general
Mabiza
had
not
been
answered.
Bishop
Morris
Gwedegwe
(far
right)
was
appointed
to
the
Zimbabwe
Defence
Commission
in
May
2019
HARARE
–
Zanu
PF
employs
dozens
of
internet
trolls
to
attack
its
opponents,
according
to
a
document
seen
by
ZimLive.
The
trolls
are
employed
under
the
Varakashi4ED
Social
Media
Unit,
with
the
party’s
legal
secretary
Patrick
Chinamasa
serving
as
its
executive
director.
The
information
was
obtained
after
Chinamasa
fired
six
members
of
the
unit
for
allegedly
attacking
senior
members
of
the
party.
Chinamasa
announced
the
move
in
a
February
11
letter
to
the
party’s
national
political
commissar
Munyaradzi
Machacha.
He
wrote:
“On
February
3,
2025,
I
met
with
His
Excellency,
the
president
and
first
secretary
of
Zanu
PF
Cde
Dr.
E.D.
Mnangagwa
to
discuss
disciplinary
issues
within
the
Varakashi4ED
Social
Media
Unit,
which
I
lead
as
the
executive
director…
“After
reviewing
serious
infractions
by
rogue
elements
who
attacked
the
unit’s
leadership
and
senior
party
officials,
the
following
recommendations
were
made:
♦
Permanent
removal
of
Jonasi
Mandiwisa
Musara,
Tafadzwa
Mawire,
Tinotenda
Gachange,
Felix
Muzondo,
Pardon
Mangwende
and
Herbert
Mathe
from
the
Varakashi4ED
Social
Media
Unit.
♦
Varakashi4ED
Social
Media
Unit
shall
be
the
party’s
sole
Zanu
PF
recognised
social
media
affiliate.
♦
Expedited
implementation
of
a
party
social
media
management
policy
by
the
commissariat,
information
and
publicity
and
legal
departments.”
Chinamasa
advised
Machacha
that
Norman
Mbimbi
would
now
be
administrator
of
Varakashi4ED
with
Dereck
Goto
as
director
of
operations.
“I
kindly
request
your
office
to
enforce
these
recommendations
as
per
His
Excellency’s
directive…
I
will
continue
overseeing
the
Unit
in
my
capacity
as
executive
director,”
Chinamasa
added.
It
has
long
been
rumoured
that
Zanu
PF
employs
social
media
trolls
to
magnify
its
messages
and
attack
rivals,
but
this
is
the
first
time
proof
has
been
obtained
of
their
existence.
In
the
same
letter,
Chinamasa
said
the
unit
was
established
following
Mnangagwa’s
directive
“ahead
of
the
2023
harmonised
elections.”
One
of
those
jettisoned
from
the
unit,
Jonasi
Mandiwisa
Musara,
who
uses
the
name
Jones
Musara
on
social
media,
tweeted
on
Thursday:
“Now
back
to
law
school
which
requires
lots
of
studying,
writing
assignments
and
particpating
in
tutorials.
My
time
on
social
media
will
be
obviously
drastically
reduced
because
of
that.”
HARARE
–
The
European
Union
has
lifted
sanctions
on
the
Zimbabwe
Defence
Industries,
the
last
entity
on
its
blacklist
under
restrictive
measures
in
place
since
2002,
but
will
maintain
an
embargo
on
arms
sales
to
Zimbabwe
“which
might
be
used
for
internal
repression.”
The
decision
was
taken
at
a
meeting
of
the
Council
of
the
European
Union
on
Wednesday.
The
council
said
in
a
statement:
“The
council
today
renewed
its
framework
for
restrictive
measures
in
view
of
the
situation
in
Zimbabwe
for
a
further
year,
until
February
20,
2026.
“The
council
also
delisted
the
last
remaining
entity,
the
Zimbabwe
Defence
Industries.
“The
embargo
on
arms
and
equipment
which
might
be
used
for
internal
repression
remains
in
place.
The
EU
continues
to
closely
follow
developments
in
Zimbabwe,
with
a
particular
attention
to
the
human
rights
situation,
and
recalls
its
readiness
to
adapt
the
whole
range
of
its
policies
accordingly.”
The
EU
stressed
that
“the
remaining
restrictive
measures
in
place
do
not
affect
the
people
of
Zimbabwe,
its
economy,
foreign
direct
investments,
or
trade.”
Since
imposing
sanctions
in
2002
over
electoral
fraud
and
human
rights
abuses,
the
EU
has
eased
measures
to
encourage
political
reform
in
Zimbabwe.
The
EU
began
easing
sanctions
on
Zimbabwe
in
2015
when
it
gave
the
country
$267
million,
the
first
time
it
had
extended
financial
aid
to
the
government
since
imposing
sanctions
in
2002.
The
bloc
subsequently
removed
the
names
of
dozens
of
government
officials
and
security
chiefs
from
its
sanctions
list.
Zimbabwe’s
ruling
Zanu
PF
party
has
used
the
sanctions
as
an
excuse
over
the
years
to
claim
they
were
hindering
foreign
investment
and
responsible
for
the
country’s
economic
troubles,
a
claim
repeatedly
denied
by
the
EU.
GWERU
–
Former
Gweru
councillor
and
Midlands
Zanu
PF
stalwart
Charles
Simbi’s
son
and
a
relative
have
been
arraigned
before
the
Gweru
Magistrate
Courts
facing
armed
robbery
charges
along
with
five
others.
Nyasha
Osward
Simbi,
27,
of
Southview
in
Gweru
and
a
relative,
Alex
Simbi,
42,
of
Mkoba
6
in
Gweru,
are
employed
at
Thunderbird
42
Mine,
operated
by
Charles,
56.
Charles,
a
losing
Zanu
PF
candidate
for
the
Mkoba
parliamentary
seat,
also
has
a
pending
fraud
case,
where
he
allegedly
forged
land
ownership
papers
using
his
wife
Zodwa
Thembinkosi
in
a
bid
to
seize
mining
claims
at
a
farm
just
outside
Gweru.
The
two,
Nyasha
and
Alex,
are
allegedly
part
of
a
seven-man
gang
that
robbed
individuals
at
nearby
MT
Mine
on
February
8,
2025,
at
approximately
3AM
using
a
pistol,
machetes,
and
knobkerries
while
demanding
cash
and
gold.
The
other
five
suspects
are
Kimton
Sibanda,
25,
and
Samu
Sibanda,
24,
both
from
Beneti
Village
in
Lower
Gwelo
under
Chief
Sogwala;
Takudzwa
Nyoni,
33,
of
Cowdray
Park
in
Bulawayo;
Hercluse
Nhongo,
29,
of
Clifton
Park
in
Gweru;
and
Bright
Ndlovu,
43,
from
Malamulela
Village
under
Chief
Nduku
in
Zhombe.
They
were
arrested
by
police
a
day
after
the
robbery
on
February
9,
2025.
Court
papers
seen
by
ZimLive
show
that
the
seven
are
facing
two
counts
of
armed
robbery
and
one
count
of
assault.
The
National
Prosecuting
Authority
alleges
that
the
gang
arrived
at
MT
Mine
and
threatened
Shepherd
Kutse
and
Norman
Mahlani
with
knobkerries
and
a
pistol,
and
further
assaulted
them
with
machetes
all
over
their
bodies
demanding
cash
and
gold.
“They
went
on
to
take
a
Samsung
A33
cellphone
(from
Kutse)
and
a
Samsung
S23
(from
Mahlani),”
read
the
court
papers.
On
the
third
count,
the
seven
are
facing
assault
charges
as
defined
in
Section
89
of
the
Criminal
Law
and
Reform
Act,
Chapter
9:23.
“One
or
more
of
them
assaulted
Stephen
Ndlovu
with
machetes
and
knobkerries,
demanding
cash
and
gold.
The
complainant
managed
to
escape.
The
complainant
sustained
a
cut
on
the
left
leg,”
the
NPA
alleges.
The
gang
was
positively
identified
by
witnesses
and
the
complainants.
The
accused
were
remanded
in
custody
to
February
25,
2025,
and
are
being
represented
by
lawyer
Esau
Mandipa
of
Mandipa,
Makwara,
and
Chikukwa
Legal
Practitioners.
Back
in
2023,
California
criminal
court
judge
Jeffrey
Ferguson
was
arrested
for
the
murder
of
his
wife,
Sheryl
Ferguson.
The
couple
had
been
arguing
early
in
the
evening,
both
at
their
home
and
a
restaurant,
and
the
fighting
continued
when
they
returned
home.
During
the
argument
at
the
restaurant,
prosecutors
say
the
judge
used
his
fingers
to
imitate
a
gun.
When
the
fight
continued
at
home,
Sheryl
Ferguson
reportedly
said,
“Why
don’t
you
point
a
real
gun
at
me?”
According
to
court
filings,
Judge
Ferguson
then
got
his
Glock
.40
pistol
from
his
ankle
holster
and
shot
her.
Shortly
after
the
shooting,
the
judge
reportedly
texted
court
staffers,
“I
just
lost
it.
I
just
shot
my
wife.
I
won’t
be
in
tomorrow.
I
will
be
in
custody.
I’m
so
sorry.”
The
trial
of
Judge
Ferguson
began
in
a
California
courtroom
earlier
this
week.
Opening
statements
began
with
Orange
County
Deputy
District
Attorney
Seton
Hunt showing
a
video
of
Judge
Ferguson
after
his
arrest,
sitting
alone
in
a
police
interview
room.
The
footage
shows
Ferguson
saying,
“I
killed
her.
Ladies
and
gentlemen
of
the
jury,
convict
my
ass.
I
did
it.”
As
reported
by
Law360,
it
continues:
In
the
video,
the
judge
at
various
times
expresses
regret
and
anger
toward
himself
while
also
saying
aloud
to
nobody
in
particular
that
he
wasn’t
“going
to
pretend
or
do
subterfuge,”
according
to
Hunt.
Jeffrey
Ferguson
is
later
caught
on
the
video
saying,
“I
did
it.
Convict
me.
Send
me
on
my
way.”
And
that
wasn’t
the
only
video
shown
to
the
jury:
Jurors
also
saw
footage
from
a
body
camera
worn
by
Officer
Joshua
Juntilla,
who
apprehended
Jeffrey
Ferguson
and
stayed
with
him
outside
the
family’s
home.
Juntilla
recalled
that
the
judge
was
distraught,
uttering
several
expletives,
and
asking
multiple
times
whether
his
wife
was
alive.
“What
the
fuck
did
I
do?”,
“Shit
me,
shit
me,
shit
me,
fuck
me,”
and
“Holy
fuck,
I
can’t
believe
this,”
Judge
Ferguson
is
heard
saying
on
video
at
different
times,
while
also
apologizing
repeatedly
to
his
son,
who
was
not
within
earshot.
“Phillip,
I’m
so
sorry,”
Judge
Ferguson
said,
sobbing.
“My
son
will
hate
me
for
the
rest
of
my
life.”
The
judge
subsequently
revealed
to
Juntilla
he
was
a
superior
court
judge,
discussed
his
30-year
career
as
a
deputy
district
attorney,
prosecuting
different
gangs,
while
commenting:
“Here
I
am,
now
like
them,
after
all
of
this.”
“I
never
in
my
wildest
dreams
thought
I’d
be
sitting
in
handcuffs
in
front
of
my
house,”
Jeffrey
Ferguson
is
heard
saying.
The
trial
is
ongoing.
Judge
Ferguson
maintains
the
shooting
was
accidental.
