A former Zanu-PF district chairperson has appeared in court facing a charge of inciting violence.
Tendai Charuka, who is also a patron of the Vendors4ED organisation, was arraigned before the Bulawayo Magistrates’ Court on allegations that he instigated an assault on the group’s national chairperson, Samu Jere.
Prosecutors allege that Charuka mobilised three co-accused, Tonderai Gondo (42), Raymond Muringa (27) and Nqobizitha Munyanyi (45), to attack Jere on 16 January 2025. The three were arrested on the same day and are currently out of custody on US$100 bail each.
Charuka appeared separately before Magistrate Themba Chimiso, who remanded him out of custody to 13 February, when he is expected to appear jointly with the other accused.
The State, represented by Artwell Mpofu, applied for the cases to be consolidated, arguing that they arose from the same incident.
“Your Worship, the State requests that the court marries this record with another that is already before this court,” Mpofu said. “The accused person can return to court on February 13 to co-appear with his accomplices so that the matter is dealt with as one.”
Charuka’s lawyer, Tinashe Dzipe of Morris-Davies and Company, opposed the application, arguing that the court was not sitting as a remand court and that the charges differed.
“My client was summoned from his home and complied,” Dzipe said. “The other accused persons face charges of assault, while my client is charged with inciting violence. These are not similar charges.”
However, Magistrate Chimiso granted the State’s request and postponed the matter to 13 February 2026.
“I will treat this as a summons matter, as the accused was called from his residence,” the magistrate said. “He is remanded out of custody and will continue residing at his stated address.”
Reports suggest the dispute between Charuka and Jere began after Jere allegedly exposed the misuse of empowerment funds disbursed for vendors.
In 2024, Charuka was suspended from his party leadership positions and from Zanu-PF amid allegations linked to disputes over vending bays at Bulawayo’s Fifth Avenue and Bhaktas designated vending areas.