Model lost her arm and leg fighting her powerful ex-husband in a 7-year legal battle and now, she's free

• Marry Mubaiwa faced an attempted murder charge for allegedly unplugging her ex-husband's life support in 2019.

• The case stalled for seven years, during which her failing health led to two limb amputations.

• A magistrate finally removed her from remand in October 2026 due to unreasonable trial delays.

Imagine a political thriller that blends high-stakes power dynamics, a bitter marital collapse, and a tragic medical nightmare. 

That is the true story of Marry Mubaiwa and Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga. For seven gruelling years, this saga captivated and horrified the nation, culminating in a bittersweet victory for Mubaiwa in late October 2026.

To understand how it all ended, you have to look at how it began.

Back in 2011, the couple married under customary law. He was a powerful military general who would later orchestrate the removal of Robert Mugabe; she was a former model. 

For a time, they were one of Zimbabwe's most prominent power couples, raising three children together. But by 2019, the marriage had completely fractured, and things took a dark, cinematic turn.

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In July 2019, Vice President Chiwenga was fighting for his life. Suffering from a severe, undisclosed illness, he was airlifted to a hospital in Pretoria, South Africa. 

It was inside this heavily guarded hospital room that the alleged crime occurred. According to Chiwenga’s personal doctor, John Mangwiro, Mubaiwa entered the room and deliberately pulled an intravenous tube connected to her husband's chest. 

Mangwiro testified that the Vice President screamed in agony, prompting medical staff to rush in and intervene.

Mubaiwa vehemently denied the accusations. Her defence team, led by prominent human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, argued that the attempted murder charge was entirely fabricated. 

They pointed to the lack of supporting hospital records and glaring inconsistencies in witness statements. In their view, the allegations were nothing more than a weaponised legal attack orchestrated by a powerful man to destroy his wife amidst a highly toxic divorce.

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By December 2019, their customary marriage was officially dissolved, and Mubaiwa was arrested.

What followed was a seven-year legal marathon that tested the limits of human endurance. The State’s case repeatedly stalled.

Prosecutors constantly requested more time to gather witnesses, and the proceedings were paralysed for nearly 22 months simply because the Vice President—the primary complainant—failed to show up to court. 

The judicial carousel kept turning; at one point, the case faced a massive reset when the presiding magistrate was elevated to the High Court, meaning the trial was technically forced back to square one.

But the most harrowing chapter of this saga wasn't the legal manoeuvring—it was Mubaiwa’s catastrophic health decline.

While the courts dragged their feet, Mubaiwa was diagnosed with a severe lymphatic condition. Despite her desperate pleas and legal attempts to retrieve her confiscated passport to seek specialised medical treatment outside Zimbabwe, she was denied. 

Her body began to fail her. In September 2022, her condition worsened to the point that her right arm had to be amputated at a private hospital in Harare. Less than two years later, in June 2024, the disease claimed her left leg.

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Despite these horrific physical traumas, the justice system offered no leniency. Missing limbs and visibly deteriorating, Mubaiwa was repeatedly compelled to attend her remand hearings, often being wheeled into the courthouse. 

Her lawyers fiercely argued that forcing a double-amputee to perpetually attend court for a trial that the State wouldn't even start was a gross violation of her human rights and constituted unreasonable delay.

Finally, on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the breaking point arrived.

Regional magistrate Musaiona Shotgame looked at the seven-year timeline and drew a line in the sand. 

The State had asked for yet another postponement, still claiming they needed more time to secure witnesses. The magistrate refused. Citing the immense mental, physical, and financial prejudice Mubaiwa had suffered; Shotgame officially ordered her removal from remand.

Outside the courthouse, the relief was palpable. Flanked by her fierce advocate Beatrice Mtetwa, a physically shattered but spiritually unbroken Mubaiwa declared, “Ah tahwina isu”—we have won.

However, in the world of law, nuances matter. Being removed from remand is not the same as a formal acquittal. It simply means the State has failed to prosecute her in a reasonable timeframe, freeing her from bail conditions and the nightmare of perpetual court appearances. 

While the State theoretically has the power to revive the charges by issuing a formal summons down the line, doing so after a seven-year delay and massive public scrutiny would be incredibly difficult.

For now, after a broken marriage, lost limbs, and seven years in legal purgatory, Marry Mubaiwa is finally free to go home.