A Harare court has removed Marry Mubaiwa from remand after prosecutors failed to proceed with a nearly seven-year-old case accusing her of trying to kill Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.

Marry Mubaiwa, the former wife of Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, has been removed from remand after almost seven years facing an attempted murder charge. She had been accused of trying to kill him while he was receiving medical treatment in South Africa.

Why the magistrate removed Mubaiwa from remand

Harare magistrate Stanford Mambanje rejected a prosecution request to postpone the proceedings until November to give authorities more time to locate witnesses.

The magistrate ruled that the prolonged case had caused Mubaiwa significant mental, physical and financial prejudice, and ordered her removal from remand.

Mubaiwa’s lawyer, prominent human rights attorney Beatrice Mtetwa, welcomed the ruling but said it had come years too late. Mubaiwa celebrated outside the court, saying she believed justice had finally been served.

The attempted murder allegation

Prosecutors accused Mubaiwa of interfering with Chiwenga’s life-support equipment while he was being treated in SA in 2019. She has consistently denied the allegation.

The case was repeatedly delayed. The prospect of a fresh trial emerged after the magistrate who had previously handled the proceedings was promoted to the High Court.

What happens next in the Mubaiwa case

The decision effectively ends the current proceedings, but prosecutors could still bring the case back by summoning Mubaiwa for a new trial.

Mubaiwa and Chiwenga married in 2011 and divorced in 2022. Their highly publicized relationship had become the subject of several criminal and civil proceedings.