Mary Mubaiwa is at a serious risk of having at least one of her arms amputated after failing to get the medical care she needs to treat her lymphoedema, a court heard on Tuesday.
The Harare Magistrates Court was told this as the 40-year-old estranged wife of vice president Constantino Chiwenga asked for the postponement of her trial for allegedly forging a marriage certificate.
Her lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa said she was in no condition to stand trial, pointing to heavy medicines she is taking which she said were compromising her mental health.
She said Mubaiwa had been blocked from accessing specialist treatment in South Africa and because of that her condition had continued deteriorating.
“She may end up being amputated because none of the medication she is receiving is working well,” Mtetwa said.
Mubaiwa is facing a string of other charges including assault, fraud, money laundering and the attempted murder of Chiwenga.
Mubaiwa is also accused of approaching then Judge President George Chiweshe and misrepresenting that she and Chiwenga had agreed to wed under the Marriage Act at a ceremony on July 2, 2019, at their home at 614 Nick Price Drive, Borrowdale Brooke, Harare.
She allegedly submitted copies of national identity documents of both of them to Justice Chiweshe, who then contacted Acting Chief Magistrate Munamato Mutevedzi to look for a magistrate to solemnise the marriage.
Mutevedzi, being the highest ranking marriage officer in the judiciary, took up the task personally.
He noticed that the couple had not submitted passport size photos and their addresses, before contacting JSC Acting Secretary Walter Chikwana, who in turn contacted Mubaiwa, who submitted all the missing documents.
