The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has dropped murder charges against two leaders of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), Obert Masaraure (President) and Robson Chere (Secretary-General), who had been accused of the 2016 murder of their colleague, Roy Issa.
According to a statement from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), Masaraure and Chere were initially charged with the murder of Issa, which allegedly occurred on June 11, 2016, during a drinking session in Harare. The two, along with four other individuals, were accused of assaulting Issa, leading to his death. Prosecutors claimed the group then attempted to cover up the crime by falsely claiming that Issa had fallen from a hotel balcony.
Issa’s body was found approximately six meters from Jameson Hotel along Park Street in Harare. However, after eight years of investigation, the NPA informed Harare Magistrate Dennis Mangosi that law enforcement had not gathered enough evidence to proceed with the charges, leading to the withdrawal of charges against both Masaraure and Chere.
Masaraure and Chere had been appearing in court since 2022 after their arrest by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and were out on bail during the proceedings. They were represented by prominent lawyers Doug Coltart and Beatrice Mtetwa from ZLHR.
Prosecutors acknowledged that continuing to keep Masaraure on remand while investigations were still pending was no longer justified, and they made a similar concession when charges against Chere were dropped in October 2024. On November 27, 2024, the murder charges against Masaraure were officially withdrawn.
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