A former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns winger has been acquitted of theft charges.
Kudakwashe Mahachi, who recently parted ways with SuperSport United, was cleared of theft charges on Tuesday by a Bulawayo magistrate Vivian Ndlovu.
The Zimbabwe international appeared in court for allegedly snatching and damaging an iPhone belonging to his sister, Meline.
According to reports, the court established that relations between the complainant and the ex-Golden Arrows star had gone sour. She accused him of destroying the phone to get rid of evidence in a case of scalding his four-year-old son with hot water.
However, the magistrate said the State had failed to prove the critical elements of the case, noting that the sister admitted she willingly gave him the phone during cross-examination. The court further said there were inconsistencies in the evidence provided by the complainant.
Mahachi’s contract with SuperSport ended last month, and the club said they would not renew it. A few weeks before the end of the agreement, they released him to go and attend to his son’s matter.
The young boy was scalded and spent weeks in hospital. The case is set to start soon in court. Mahachi is being accused of abusing his son by his ex-wife Maritha Ndlovu. She claims he requested that he visit him in Gauteng for a while. Upon his return from the visit, he was heavily bandaged with burns all over the body.
Meanwhile, the talented forward remains without a club as he focuses on dealing with the case. Last month, Bulawayo side Chicken Inn had to distance themselves from him after reports that he was training with them. A South African agent had to freeze a potential move to Saudi Arabia, citing that it was important for the player to deal with the matter first.
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