HARARE
–
Unwell
businessman,
Mike
Chimombe
was
Monday
dragged
to
court
after
he
had
earlier
failed
to
show
up
for
his
fraud
trial
at
the
High
Court.
The
businessman,
who
has
been
languishing
in
remand
prison
since
his
arrest
in
June
last
year,
appeared
in
the
afternoon
before
High
Court
judge
Pisirayi
Kwenda
struggling
to
speak.
Chimombe
sat
in
the
dock
with
head
bowed
down
while
covering
his
face
during
his
brief
appearance.
Justice
Kwenda
had
insisted
earlier
that
the
businessman
appears
physically
before
his
court
despite
prison
officials
confirming
their
inmate
was
under
the
weather.
His
condition
has
delayed
commencement
of
his
trial
with
business
partner
Moses
Mpofu.
His
lawyers
had
told
court
a
week
earlier
that
their
client
required
at
least
seven
days
to
recover
from
his
ailment.
But
Chimombe
failed
to
show
up
again,
infuriating
the
judge
who
then
demanded
to
see
him
in
his
court.
Kwenda
accused
the
Zimbabwe
Prisons
and
Correctional
Services
of
being
in
breach
of
his
order
to
bring
Chimombe
to
court
on
Monday.
The
judge
also
said
it
was
unwise
for
both
the
state
and
the
defence
to
fail
to
update
him
of
Chimombe’s
absence
before
trial.
“Do
I
have
to
remind
you
that
it
is
your
responsibility
to
bring
the
accused
to
the
court?
This
is
your
statutory
obligation.
That’s
why
you
exist,”
Kwenda
told
Chikoto,
a
ZPCS
officer
in
charge
of
operations
at
the
High
Court
after
summoning
him
to
explain
Chimombe’s
absence.
He
ordered
prison
officials
to
bring
Chimombe
at
2PM
on
the
day
or
come
before
the
court
with
a
detailed
formal
report
on
why
he
could
not
attend
court.
“It
is
not
up
to
you
to
keep
him
at
prison
if
he
is
needed
at
court.
You
listen
to
court
orders.
He
should
be
here
at
2PM;
if
not,
then
you
will
explain,”
the
judge
said.
Lovemore
Madhuku,
representing
Chimombe,
then
told
Kwenda
that
the
Supreme
Court
appeal
against
denial
of
bail
pending
appeal
by
the
two
was
being
heard
at
the
same
time.
But
the
judge
would
hear
none
of
it
insisting
that
he
wanted
Chimombe
to
appear
physically
in
his
court.
Kwenda
said
he
had
already
issued
an
order
and
could
not
rescind
it
because
of
that.
Madhuku
insisted
that
it
was
impossible
for
the
two
to
have
different
cases
involving
them
being
heard
at
the
same
time.
“If
the
court
wants
to
see
him
for
something
else,
he
can
be
here
but
if
it
is
for
trial,
he
has
to
be
represented
in
accordance
with
the
law….again
that’s
not
allowed.
This
court
can
only
sit
with
the
accused
as
a
trial
court
and
nothing
other
than
that.
“I
think
you
have
a
room
to
correct
your
order
my
Lord,”
Madhuku
said.
Kwenda
said
the
court
will
sit
even
in
the
absence
of
the
lawyers.
ZPCS
then
went
to
fetch
Chimombe
who
told
the
court
that
he
had
nothing
to
say
because
he
had
already
instructed
his
lawyers.
The
matter
was
then
postponed
to
March
17
for
trial
commencement.
Chimombe
and
Mpofu
are
accused
of
fraudulently
acquiring
a
tender
to
supply
goats
under
a
presidential
goat
scheme
that
was
being
run
by
government.