The chief witness against a Mutare man accused of conspiring to assassinate President Robert Mugabe testified Wednesday that Michael Peter Hitschmann, the white former soldier who stands accused, gave him two Uzi submachine guns, 200 rounds of ammunition and a pistol to kill the president in February.
Major Israel Phiri, an active-duty member of the Zimbabwean army, testified Tuesday that Hitschmann invited him to a local hotel and promised him US$500 a month and a visa to escape to Mozambique if he would join the alleged conspiracy.
Phiri told Mutare high court that Hitshmann said he belonged to a military wing of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change called the Zimbabwe Freedom Party.
Attorney Trust Mhanda, representing Hitschmann, said Phiri would probably conclude his testimony for the prosecution Thursday, after which he would cross-examine him.
Mhanda told reporter Patience Rusere of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that although the state recently introduced new evidence including assault weapons and explosives, the state’s case against Hitschmann is fundamentally flawed.
More reports rrom VOA's Studio Seven For Zimbabwe...