A High Court judge yesterday warned a 50-year-old woman against acting like a comedian after she threatened to remove her pant in court.
High Court judge Hlekani Mwayera asked Julian Chineka to act her age.
Chineka was giving evidence in the trial of Pritchard Zimondi, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend Monalisa Chinomona using a kitchen knife in Chitungwiza in April 2012.
According to prosecutor Editor Mavuto, when Zimondi was arrested, he was found in possession of a pant and a bra, belonging to his late girlfriend.
However, in his defence, Zimondi claims he took the clothing items from Chineka’s house as samples to show his girlfriend.
When Chineka was questioned by Mavuto over the clothing items, she claimed the items were new and that she is the one who had given them to Zimondi as samples for his girlfriend.
Mavuto asked Chineka to prove that the pant was new.
Chineka then threatened to remove the pant she was wearing so that the court could compare it with the one that was produced as an exhibit.
Chineka said the pant that was produced as an exhibit was new but had been soiled through handling. By showing the court her own pant, she said it would serve to prove her point.
“Why do you want to take your pant off in front of this court?” judge Mwayera asked.
The judge said as a 50-year-old woman, Chineka was supposed to lead by example and was not expected to behave in such an appalling manner.
Mwayera said she had actually seen Chineka making a movement, touching her skirt in an attempt to remove her pant, yet none of the court officials had asked her to act in such a demeaning manner.
Mavuto earlier on accused Zimondi of lying about where he had bought the pant and bra. He said Zimondi had told the court that he took the clothing items from Chineka’s house.
Zimondi had told the court that he had bought the items in town, before saying that he had purchased them in Gweru.
Zimondi is now leading evidence through his witnesses following the State’s closure of its case after 11 witnesses testified.
Mavuto said that the fatal incident took place after Zimondi had a misunderstanding with his 19-year-old girlfriend, before stabbing her with a kitchen knife and fleeing from the scene.
Zimondi is represented by Harare lawyer Norman Mugiya.