HARARE regional magistrate Mrs Vongai Guwuriro is today expected to deliver her verdict on whether former Public Service Minister Petronella Kagonye is guilty of stealing computers meant for schools in Goromonzi South constituency.
Kagonye is charged with theft and after the State established its prosecution case, she was put to her defence to explain herself.
Kagonye denied any wrong doing claiming that she donated the laptops she received to selected individuals in the constituency and brought witnesses to court to testify to this.
Some witnesses brought the laptops to court to prove that they had received the donations from the ex-Minister.
Kagonye had written to then Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services Supa Mandiwanzira requesting computers to donate to schools in Goromonzi South, which were supplied but which she is accused of stealing.
During trial, Kagonye denied the allegations saying her arrest was orchestrated by her political adversaries, who were plotting her downfall.
Kagonye called one of the political heavyweights in Mashonaland East, Cde Rogers Pote, to testify as a defence witness and he agreed in his evidence that Kagonye’s arrest was as a result of her political rivals, saying he even sat in some meetings where her downfall was being plotted.
Kagonye wrote in 2018 to Mr Mandiwanzira and on June 20 2018, Mr Mandiwanzira wrote to Potraz requesting that they facilitate a donation of computers through its e-learning project to the schools.
Twenty computers were then allegedly donated and were said to have been collected by Kagonye’s brother, Evans, on her behalf.
Potraz made follow-ups on the donation and says that Kagonye failed to account for the computers.