Paramount chief Kawinga’s shooting case commences

Zomba Chief Resident Magistrate court has started hearing a case in which three people are being accused of shooting and robbing Paramount Chief Kawinga of Machinga district.

The three Square Dayitoni 28 from village Tola and Karoti Asedi 27 from village Chiponde both from Traditional Authority Jalasi in Mangochi and Abada Saidi 28 from Bala village Traditional Authority Mponda in the same district have been charged with six counts which are armed robbery contrary to section 301(2) of the penal code, malicious damage which is contrary tosection 344(1) of the penal code and four counts of Acts intending to cause a grievous harm contrary to section 235(a) of the penal code.

Reading out the statement of the offence, Chief Resident Magistrate Mzondi Mvula said the accused persons during the night of 29th to 30th January, 2018 shot Paramount Chief Kawinga at his Headquarters in Machinga district with an AK47 rifle before robbing him K1.5 million kwacha cash and two Samsung Galaxy mobile phones all valued at K1.7million kwacha.

The court further said “the three with intent to maim, disfigure or disable, shot three times at Paramount Chief Kawinga, Albert Mataka who is a son to Paramount Chief Kawinga, Brenda Charles and Maxwell Makina before they maliciously damaged three vehicles belonging to the Chief.”

The accused persons who two of them are being represented by Counsel Yasini Domasi have pleaded not guilty to all the six charges and the state through Eastern Region Police Prosecution Officer Senior Superintendent Dickens Mwambazi asked for adjournment and promised to parade 23 witnesses to prove the case.

The court has since adjourned the case to 15th August, 2018 and the court will seat at Ntaja in Machinga district where the incident took place.