Chinese National Acquitted in Gweru Attempted Murder Case

GWERU – A Gweru regional magistrate, Christopher Maturure, acquitted Chinese national Liu Haifeng (52) on Wednesday, clearing him of attempted murder charges.

Liu had been accused of opening fire during a labour dispute at Ming Chang Sino Africa Bijou Farm, located on the outskirts of Gweru, in January 2025.

According to the State, Liu allegedly fired gunshots at Kholwani Dube, a farm employee, following a disagreement. However, magistrate Maturure ruled that Dube was the aggressor in the altercation. The court also noted that the second State witness failed to support the complainant’s version of events.

Liu, who was represented by lawyers from Gundu, Dube, and Pamacheche Legal Practitioners, was found not guilty due to lack of sufficient evidence.

Prosecutor Monica Mungwena informed the court that on January 21, 2025, at around 4 PM, Liu, who worked as the farm manager, fired three shots during a confrontation with Dube. The disagreement reportedly began when Dube refused to carry out a task assigned to him. Following the refusal, he was handed a suspension letter.

The court heard that Dube demanded his outstanding salary before leaving, which led to a heated exchange.

At the height of the altercation, Wang Jun, another Chinese national working as a stores manager, allegedly joined in. The State alleged that Liu dropped his firearm during the scuffle, which Wang then picked up. Wang allegedly pointed the gun at Dube’s head, pinned him to the ground, and restrained him using a wire.

In his defence, Liu denied attempting to harm Dube, insisting that he had only fired two warning shots into the air. He claimed that Dube had turned aggressive and even threatened to use a grader to run over his Chinese employers.

Following the hearing, the court ruled in favour of Liu, dismissing the attempted murder charge against him.

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