Legal experts who spoke to The Mirror said routine remand
hearings are not held on Saturday.
When The Mirror enquired last week about the remand date
for Dube, the reporter was given two different dates with some court officials
saying she would appear on Friday May 14 while others said it would be on
Saturday May 15 2021.
Dube who was arrested for illegally selling State land to
the tune of US$9 million eventually appeared on Saturday.
Court officials at the Gweru Magistrate Courts said it was
quite odd that an active case on court roll would be remanded on a weekend as
weekends are reserved for new and urgent matters.
Prominent Gweru lawyer Brian Dube said remands are not
supposed to be set on Saturdays.
“Saturday is a working day but normally courts handle new
and urgent cases only. It’s odd to have a matter remanded on a Saturday,” said
Dube.
Another prominent Harare Lawyer Tongai Mutsindo said courts
do sit on a Saturday as it is a normal working day.
“I have once had a trial on a Saturday, it’s a normal
working day so l wouldn’t want to say it’s not normal for a remand to be set on
Saturday,” he said
A magistrate who requested anonymity said according to
court procedures remands are not held on a Saturday.
“Courts sit on Saturdays, it’s a working day but according
to court procedures remands are set during the week.
A case which is already in the court roll cannot be
remanded on a Saturday. We do not do that unless it’s a genuine mistake,” said the
magistrate
The Mirror could not establish why this happened but court
officials at Gweru expressed surprise.
An upbeat Dube who looked well after her four-week stay in
hospital arrived at the court in the morning and had a jovial chat with Mirror
Assistant Editor Elizabeth Mashiri. She even offered to pose for pictures for
Mashiri to take.
Magistrate Edwin Marecha remanded Dube to June 15, 2021
when she will come before the Anti-Corruption Court. Masvingo Mirror
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