HARARE – Health minister Obadiah Moyo filed a police report and went on to write a statement on behalf of his daughter after she was allegedly assaulted by her boyfriend, a court heard on Thursday.
Moyo’s daughter, Ashleigh, was left unconscious after the July 26 incident at the popular nightclub, Pabloz.
Her boyfriend Godfrey Utsiwegota, 21, is on trial for assault.
But appearing before Harare magistrate Learnmore Mapiye on Thursday, Ashleigh recanted her earlier testimony, this time testifying that she never reported a case of assault.
“It’s my father who reported the matter to the police. I even told my father that I don’t want to report the issue and he wrote the statement,” she testified during cross examination by Utsiwegota’s lawyer, Cathew Manyani.
Ashleigh, a budding musician also known as Shashl, said she was leaving Pabloz at around 2:30AM when Ovio Mgijima, a South African national, confronted her, pulled her wig and assaulted her unprovoked.
“That’s when the accused (Utsiwegota) joined in the assault. Bouncers stopped him. I fell unconscious and I don’t remember what happened,” she said.
Two Pabloz security guards however testified that Ashleigh was assaulted by Ovio and not by Utsiwegota.
The bouncers further said that Ashleigh provoked Ovio by pouring wine on her.
When Utsiwegota took the stand to defend himself, he told the court that he was sitting with Berllamine Chatunga Mugabe, the son of former President Robert Mugabe, when Ashleigh stood up from her table and poured wine on the South African before running towards the exit.
He testified that Ovio ran after Ashleigh and when they followed, bouncers at the club blocked them from exiting.
“I didn’t assault her. I just saw wigs flying in the air before she drove off in her car. She gets jealous each time she sees me with female friends. She thought I was seeing Ovio,” he said.
Mapiye remanded the matter to August 21 for judgment.
Francesca Mukumbiri prosecuted.
