VICTIMS of the unrelenting political violence in remote parts of the country are increasingly becoming desperate with many considering relocating to neighbouring countries, investigations revealed last week.
Some still sleep in the bush for fear of arson attacks while others are contemplating moving to safer areas.
The victims, mostly supporters of the mainstream Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations, accuse the police of turning a blind eye as Zanu PF militia and war veterans continue to terrorise them.They feel let down by the government of national unity (GNU), saying it is a marriage of convenience between President Robert Mugabe and the two MDC leaders — Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister, Professor Arthur Mutambara.
The violence and intimidation is reportedly prevalent in remote parts of Mashonaland, which was once considered Mugabe’s undisputed stronghold.
Scores of MDC supporters in Muzarabani said they were contemplating moving to Mozambique in order to flee political victimisation by Zanu PF militia and war veterans who were spurning the hand of reconciliation.
Victims who spoke to The Standard last week said they had been left with no choice but to relocate to neighbouring Mozambique.
Many have already made contacts with their friends, relatives and traditional chiefs across the border, who they said had shown sympathy and willingness to accommodate them.
Wellington Gweru, who was the MDC-T candidate for Ward 18 in Muzarabani during last year’s harmonised elections, is one such forlorn victim.
“I have seen many of my friends dying,” Gweru said. “I can’t wait to be the next victim. The police and traditional leaders here appear to be powerless.”
Suspected Zanu PF militia, war veterans and state security agents reportedly murdered over 200 MDC supporters in the most violent campaign since the country’s Independence in 1980.
Over 200 000 others were internally displaced.
Earlier this month, Zanu PF officials confiscated agricultural implements that MDC supporters received under the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)’s mechanisation programme claiming the recipients belonged to the “wrong” party.
Implements they seized included ox-drawn ploughs, knapsack sprayers, cultivators, scotch carts as well as fertiliser and seeds.
The aggressors are reportedly threatening to burn down all houses belonging to MDC supporters that had been rebuilt after they were torched last year.
“What they want is for us to flee the area so that we will not reclaim the implements and our livestock they are looting,” Gweru said.
Gweru accused Zanu PF district party chairman Avozhi Chibhedebhede and councillor Godfrey Katsiru - who were also named as aggressors during last year’s elections - of spearheading the current wave of violence and intimidation in Muzarabani.
Neither Chibhedebhede nor Katsiru were immediately contactable to comment on the allegations.
In Mutoko in Mashonaland East Zanu PF militias are still refusing to extend the hand of reconciliation, tolerance and co-existence after years of political violence.
MDC supporters in Mutoko said they were being threatened for demanding back property confiscated by war veterans and Zanu PF supporters.
During last year’s election MDC supporters were ordered to surrender their livestock and other possessions to traditional chiefs and Zanu PF militia as punishment for supporting an opposition party.
“Life in Mutoko has become as nightmarish as it was it June 2008,” said one MDC supporter, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution.
The police, he said, appear to be still getting instructions from the local Zanu PF leadership.
Out of desperation MDC supporters have also started retaliating.
Several MDC activists were arrested recently after they allegedly burnt down homes of Zanu PF supporters in retaliation.
Zanu PF was quick in assisting those whose homes were burnt. They were given packs of food, blankets and other household goods.
In another act of violence, thousands of rural teachers were at the beginning of the school term chased away from their schools by war veterans who accused them of supporting the MDC.
Political analysts attribute the continued violence to ideological hardliners in Zanu PF who are determined to stop the “dilution of the revolution” through the unity government.
“There are those who are totally against the GNU and are doing everything they can to discredit it,” said University of Zimbabwe political analyst Eldred Masunungure.
“It’s residual resistance. It’s like telling a drug addict to stop taking drugs. It won’t be instant.”
Masunungure also believes the message of peaceful co-existence has not reached some remote parts of the country.
“The message has not percolated into the periphery of the country,” he said. “It takes time to get there and be accepted as an authentic message from their leaders.”
It is feared that the message by Zanu PF to its supporters that they should prepare for the next election could stoke violence.
Masunungure said politicians should preach the message of national healing before talking about elections.
Commenting on the resurgence of political violence the co-Minister of Home Affairs Giles Mutsekwa warned that perpetrators risked being arrested regardless of their political affiliation.
“I know for sure that there are still some pockets of violence being perpetrated by either side of the divide, but I want to assure you that the offenders will be arrested regardless of political affiliation,” said Mutsekwa, who co-chairs the ministry with Kembo Mohadi. of Zanu PF.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
EU says too early to lift sanctions on Zimbabwe
The European Union said Thursday that it is too early to lift sanctions on Zimbabwe and that President Robert Mugabe first had to prove that he would hand down all necessary powers to the government.
"We are looking at the situation very carefully, watching developments," Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, told reporters at a summit in Brussels.
"We shall see whether the distribution of power operates, if President Mugabe places substantial powers in the hands of democratically elected ministers," he said.
The EU would then, he said, "be able to look at the sanctions and will be able to lift them, but we can't do that immediately. Foremost they have to prove that they are going to stick to the rules."
In Harare earlier Thursday, Mugabe called for foreign aid to revive his nation's shattered economy and urged the United States and the EU to end "cruel" sanctions on his inner circle.
Mugabe issued the appeal at the launch of a new economic recovery plan prepared by the month-old unity government.
The European Union and the United States maintain a travel ban and asset freeze on Mugabe and his inner circle in protest at controversial elections and alleged human rights abuses by his government.
Although his long-time rival Morgan Tsvangirai became prime minister in a unity government last month, Western countries want to maintain the sanctions until the 85-year-old leader proves he is ready to reform.
Zimbabwe's once-dynamic economy has been crushed by world-record hyperinflation and the collapse of farming, mining and manufacturing.
Meanwhile the United States will continue its sanctions against Zimbabwe before the African country shows "respect for human rights and the rule of law," State Department Robert Wood said on Thursday.
"We have not yet seen sufficient evidence from the government of Zimbabwe that they are firmly and irrevocably on a path to inclusive and effective governance, and as well as respect for human rights and the rule of law," State Department Robert Wood told a news briefing.
"So that government has a long way to go before we will consider ... easing sanctions with that government," Wood said. "We're not in any kind of discussion with ... the government of Zimbabwe on removing our targeted sanctions."
Wood made the remarks after Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe on Thursday called for international aid for his country's economic recovery and lifting of sanctions.
Mugabe, who has been leading Zimbabwe since its 1980 independence from Britain, blames sanctions by the United States and its Western allies for Zimbabwe's economic collapse.
Relations between the United States and Zimbabwe have soured in recent years, with former U.S. President George W. Bush and his administration accusing Mugabe's government of rigging parliamentary and presidential elections since 2000.
Mugabe in call for an end to "cruel, inhumane sanctions"
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe on Thursday called for foreign aid to revive his nation's shattered economy and urged Washington and Brussels to end "cruel" sanctions on his inner circle.
"I on behalf of the inclusive government and the people of Zimbabwe say, friends of Zimbabwe please come to our aid," Mugabe said at the launch of a new economic recovery plan prepared by the month-old unity government.
"To the European Union and the United States, I appeal for the removal of your sanctions which are inhumane, cruel and unwarranted."
"We also wish to appeal to all those countries which wish us to succeed to support our national endeavour to turn around our economy," he added.
The European Union and the United States maintain a travel ban and asset freeze on Mugabe and his inner circle in protest at controversial elections and alleged human rights abuses by his government.
Although his long-time rival Morgan Tsvangirai became prime minister in a unity government last month, western countries say they will maintain the sanctions until the 85-year-old leader proves he is ready to reform.
Zimbabwe's once-dynamic economy has been crushed by world-record hyperinflation and the collapse of farming, mining and manufacturing.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti, Tsvangirai's top aide, slashed the government budget by nearly half on Wednesday, saying that revenues would be 43 percent lower than predicted just two months ago.
Tsvangirai has asked neighbouring countries for two billion dollars to help jump-start the economy, but has said that a total of five billion dollars would be needed to put the country back on track.
Mugabe did not say how much aid Zimbabwe wanted, as he launched the Short-term Emergency Recovery Progamme (STERP) in a ceremony at a Harare hotel.
"The successful implementation of STERP will indeed require a substantial amount of resources... We hope these will be forthcoming," he said.
Mugabe said that Zimbabwe needed to move away from "divisive and distractive activities and devote ourselves to a constructive and beneficial socio-economic reconstruction programme."
The wide-ranging scheme calls for reviving agriculture, which has been devastated following Mugabe's chaotic land reform programme, as well as mining, manufacturing and tourism.
Mugabe said the programme would involve lifting price controls, which have been blamed for undermining manufacturing as the president tried unsuccessfully to battle inflation by mandating prices below the cost of production.
"We thus envisage a giant step towards economic stabilisation," Mugabe said at the ceremony attended by Biti and other officials from Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
The economic blueprint said that the government would stop measuring inflation in Zimbabwe dollars and use foreign currency instead. No inflation estimate has been published since the last figure of 239 million percent in July.
The local currency, which was being printed in larger denominations every few weeks, has now disappeared from the streets since dollars and rands were legalised in January.
The document said that the switch to foreign currency could bring inflation down to 10 percent by the end of the year.
African Development Bank chief economist Steve Kayizzi-Mugerwa, who attended the presentation, said that the document "showed an attempt to project a unity of purpose" by the new government.
"The five billion dollar bail-out might sound like a lot of money, but it is the right amount for a for a country like Zimbabwe," he said.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Mugabe calls for peace as the police continue persecution of MDC officials
While Robert Mugabe called for an end to political violence at the burial of Rtd. Gen. Vitalis Zvinavashe at Heroes Acre today, pro-ZANU-PF police elements arrested Admire Mukorera, an MDC official and Deputy Mayor of the City of Mutare.
In a case of either acute amnesia or hypocrisy, Mugabe told mourners at the Heroes Acre that: "Zimbabwe is ours together, the land is ours. Why should we continue fighting each other?"
This is the same Mugabe who less than a year ago condoned ZANU-PF militia violence across the country that left almost 200 MDC activists and supporters dead.
In a spirit of unity, MDC officials, led by PM Tsvangirai attended the burial of Zvinavashe, the former MP for Gutu who was declared a National Hero by the ZANU-PF Politburo this week. He died Monday and was 63.
Mugabe had in the past used the burial of ZANU-PF cadres to attack the west, the MDC, and other perceived enemies of ZANU-PF.
The Harare Tribune heard that MDC officials attended the event with trepidation, thinking that Mugabe might launch new attacks on his list of enemies and derail efforts to get funding from the West.
Instead of attacking the West, Mugabe merely called on the MDC to work together with ZANU-PF to make sure that Britain and other countries lift targeted sanctions imposed on ZANU-PF leaders.
"We should refuse the sanctions. We should tell them to remove the sanctions so that we improve the lives of our people," Mugabe said. The issue of "illegal" sanctions, as ZANU-PF cronies call them, has become Mugabe's ralling call in recent weeks.
Western nations said they will lift sanctions after they had been convinced that ZANU-PF cronies, who promoted human rights abuses over the years, are committed to peace.
Despite Mugabe's call for peace, ZANU-PF militia units went on the rampage out in Buhera District, Manicaland Province, where several houses belonging to MDC supporters were burnt to the ground in renewed political violence.
According to eyewitnesses, the victims of political violence reported the names of the ZANU-PF militia members involved in political violence, but the pro-ZANU-PF police has refused to arrest them.
Instead, the police Saturday chose to arrest victims of political violence, including the Deputy Mayor of Mutare.
"They said his vehicle was used during political disturbances in Buhera but they did not give details," Pishayi Muchauraya, an MDC official in Manicaland Province, said of Mukorera's arrest.
"He is detained at Mutare central police station but they plan to take him to Buhera. When we went to see him he had not been charged."
Lawyer Trust Maanda confirmed Mukorera was detained in Mutare.
"Initially they had said they were not going to charge him and that they only wanted to record statements from him as a witness in connection with some incidents in Buhera," Maanda said.
"Later they said they were locking him up and that they were going to charge him. But for what? I don't know."
There has been several reports of political violence across the country in recent weeks. Several people have been injured, lost their homes and property in the new politically motivated violence.
In a case of either acute amnesia or hypocrisy, Mugabe told mourners at the Heroes Acre that: "Zimbabwe is ours together, the land is ours. Why should we continue fighting each other?"
This is the same Mugabe who less than a year ago condoned ZANU-PF militia violence across the country that left almost 200 MDC activists and supporters dead.
In a spirit of unity, MDC officials, led by PM Tsvangirai attended the burial of Zvinavashe, the former MP for Gutu who was declared a National Hero by the ZANU-PF Politburo this week. He died Monday and was 63.
Mugabe had in the past used the burial of ZANU-PF cadres to attack the west, the MDC, and other perceived enemies of ZANU-PF.
The Harare Tribune heard that MDC officials attended the event with trepidation, thinking that Mugabe might launch new attacks on his list of enemies and derail efforts to get funding from the West.
Instead of attacking the West, Mugabe merely called on the MDC to work together with ZANU-PF to make sure that Britain and other countries lift targeted sanctions imposed on ZANU-PF leaders.
"We should refuse the sanctions. We should tell them to remove the sanctions so that we improve the lives of our people," Mugabe said. The issue of "illegal" sanctions, as ZANU-PF cronies call them, has become Mugabe's ralling call in recent weeks.
Western nations said they will lift sanctions after they had been convinced that ZANU-PF cronies, who promoted human rights abuses over the years, are committed to peace.
Despite Mugabe's call for peace, ZANU-PF militia units went on the rampage out in Buhera District, Manicaland Province, where several houses belonging to MDC supporters were burnt to the ground in renewed political violence.
According to eyewitnesses, the victims of political violence reported the names of the ZANU-PF militia members involved in political violence, but the pro-ZANU-PF police has refused to arrest them.
Instead, the police Saturday chose to arrest victims of political violence, including the Deputy Mayor of Mutare.
"They said his vehicle was used during political disturbances in Buhera but they did not give details," Pishayi Muchauraya, an MDC official in Manicaland Province, said of Mukorera's arrest.
"He is detained at Mutare central police station but they plan to take him to Buhera. When we went to see him he had not been charged."
Lawyer Trust Maanda confirmed Mukorera was detained in Mutare.
"Initially they had said they were not going to charge him and that they only wanted to record statements from him as a witness in connection with some incidents in Buhera," Maanda said.
"Later they said they were locking him up and that they were going to charge him. But for what? I don't know."
There has been several reports of political violence across the country in recent weeks. Several people have been injured, lost their homes and property in the new politically motivated violence.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Following is an Editorial Reflecting the Views of the US Government
The Zimbabwean government's poor record on human rights deteriorated even
more last year, amid the turmoil surrounding the national elections and the
Mugabe regime's campaign to maintain its grip on the troubled nation.
The ZANU-PF party's control and manipulation of the political process
through violence, intimidation and corruption denied the people of
Zimbabwe's right for democratic rule. Unlawful killings and politically
motivated abductions increased. State-sponsored violence against activists
and opponents at times seemed to rage unchecked. Harassment of humanitarian
aid workers interfered with the delivery of desperately needed assistance as
hunger and disease spread through the country.
Every year, the United States Department of State assesses the human rights
conditions in hundreds of countries, in an effort to inform U.S.
policymaking and promote the values of personal and political freedom. In
focusing on human rights abuses, the study also strives to spark action to
end them.
In January, President Robert Mugabe ceded some power by accepting Morgan
Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change, the MDC, as Zimbabwe's
prime minister in an inclusive government. While the flagrant killings and
beatings by security forces and regime loyalists have by and large stopped,
many MDC supporters and human rights activists remain in jail. The February
13 arrest of Roy Bennett, a senior MDC official named to serve as deputy
agriculture minister also raises doubts about Mugabe's intentions and
interest in true reform.
All nations have international obligations to respect the universal human
rights and freedoms of their citizens and it is the responsibility of others
to speak out when they believe those obligations are not being fulfilled.
more last year, amid the turmoil surrounding the national elections and the
Mugabe regime's campaign to maintain its grip on the troubled nation.
The ZANU-PF party's control and manipulation of the political process
through violence, intimidation and corruption denied the people of
Zimbabwe's right for democratic rule. Unlawful killings and politically
motivated abductions increased. State-sponsored violence against activists
and opponents at times seemed to rage unchecked. Harassment of humanitarian
aid workers interfered with the delivery of desperately needed assistance as
hunger and disease spread through the country.
Every year, the United States Department of State assesses the human rights
conditions in hundreds of countries, in an effort to inform U.S.
policymaking and promote the values of personal and political freedom. In
focusing on human rights abuses, the study also strives to spark action to
end them.
In January, President Robert Mugabe ceded some power by accepting Morgan
Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change, the MDC, as Zimbabwe's
prime minister in an inclusive government. While the flagrant killings and
beatings by security forces and regime loyalists have by and large stopped,
many MDC supporters and human rights activists remain in jail. The February
13 arrest of Roy Bennett, a senior MDC official named to serve as deputy
agriculture minister also raises doubts about Mugabe's intentions and
interest in true reform.
All nations have international obligations to respect the universal human
rights and freedoms of their citizens and it is the responsibility of others
to speak out when they believe those obligations are not being fulfilled.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Obama Extends Sanctions on Zimbabwe, Says Crisis Unresolved
By Paul Tighe and Brian Latham
March 5 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama extended U.S. sanctions on Zimbabwe for a year, saying the challenge to democracy under President Robert Mugabe is continuing.
Actions and policies of government members have undermined Zimbabwe’s democratic processes and the crisis “has not been resolved,” Obama said in a message to Congress, according to the White House.
The U.S. imposed sanctions in 2003 and extended measures that include the freezing of government assets in 2005 and last year, Obama said in a statement yesterday.
Zimbabwe, ruled by Mugabe since 1980, has seen its economy collapse, resulting in at least 6.9 million people, or more than half of the population, needing emergency food aid, the United Nations says. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai took office as prime minister after his Movement for Democratic Change party joined Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party in a power-sharing government Feb. 13.
The actions of Mugabe’s government “have contributed to the deliberate breakdown in the rule of law in Zimbabwe, to politically motivated violence and intimidation, and to political and economic instability in the southern African region,” Obama said in his statement.
Cholera Epidemic
Zimbabwe’s health system is also collapsing amid a cholera epidemic that the World Health Organization says has killed 3,936 people and infected 85,149 by the start of this month. Doctors, nurses and other health workers are quitting because they aren’t being paid, Doctors Without Borders said last month.
Mugabe, 85, extended his rule when Tsvangirai declined to take part in a run-off presidential election last June. The MDC won a parliamentary majority in elections a year ago.
Tsvangirai, in his inaugural address to Parliament in Harare yesterday, called for an end to “brutal suppression” to allow the country to gain access to international aid.
“Brutal suppression, wanton arrests and political persecution impede our ability to rebuild our economy,” he said. “I therefore urge the international community to recognize our efforts and to note progress in this regard, and to match our progress by moving toward the removal of restrictive measures.”
The power-sharing arrangement with Zanu-PF is being threatened by the continued detention of senior MDC officials, Tsvangirai’s party says.
The prime minister said the new government will form a National Economic Council that will include private business and civil society and will take steps to revitalize the mining industry and stop the “wanton disruption” to productive farming. He also promised that security laws will be amended.
To contact the reporters on this story: Paul Tighe in Sydney at ptighe@bloomberg.net; Brian Latham via the Johannesburg bureau at abolleurs@bloomberg.net.
March 5 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama extended U.S. sanctions on Zimbabwe for a year, saying the challenge to democracy under President Robert Mugabe is continuing.
Actions and policies of government members have undermined Zimbabwe’s democratic processes and the crisis “has not been resolved,” Obama said in a message to Congress, according to the White House.
The U.S. imposed sanctions in 2003 and extended measures that include the freezing of government assets in 2005 and last year, Obama said in a statement yesterday.
Zimbabwe, ruled by Mugabe since 1980, has seen its economy collapse, resulting in at least 6.9 million people, or more than half of the population, needing emergency food aid, the United Nations says. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai took office as prime minister after his Movement for Democratic Change party joined Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party in a power-sharing government Feb. 13.
The actions of Mugabe’s government “have contributed to the deliberate breakdown in the rule of law in Zimbabwe, to politically motivated violence and intimidation, and to political and economic instability in the southern African region,” Obama said in his statement.
Cholera Epidemic
Zimbabwe’s health system is also collapsing amid a cholera epidemic that the World Health Organization says has killed 3,936 people and infected 85,149 by the start of this month. Doctors, nurses and other health workers are quitting because they aren’t being paid, Doctors Without Borders said last month.
Mugabe, 85, extended his rule when Tsvangirai declined to take part in a run-off presidential election last June. The MDC won a parliamentary majority in elections a year ago.
Tsvangirai, in his inaugural address to Parliament in Harare yesterday, called for an end to “brutal suppression” to allow the country to gain access to international aid.
“Brutal suppression, wanton arrests and political persecution impede our ability to rebuild our economy,” he said. “I therefore urge the international community to recognize our efforts and to note progress in this regard, and to match our progress by moving toward the removal of restrictive measures.”
The power-sharing arrangement with Zanu-PF is being threatened by the continued detention of senior MDC officials, Tsvangirai’s party says.
The prime minister said the new government will form a National Economic Council that will include private business and civil society and will take steps to revitalize the mining industry and stop the “wanton disruption” to productive farming. He also promised that security laws will be amended.
To contact the reporters on this story: Paul Tighe in Sydney at ptighe@bloomberg.net; Brian Latham via the Johannesburg bureau at abolleurs@bloomberg.net.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Tsvangirai pressure pays off as Mukoko & 12 others granted bail
Former ZBC TV anchor Jestina Mukoko and 12 other political prisoners were finally granted bail on Monday following a meeting between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai at Zimbabwe House in the morning. Mukoko had spent 3 months in custody since her December abduction while the others were approaching their 5th month locked up.
Despite claims by Mugabe that only the courts would deal with the issue concerning the detainees, it was clear Monday a political deal had secured their release. Defence lawyers quietly admitted to journalists that their clients would not have tasted their freedom had it not been for Tsvangirai’s pressure on Monday.
Granted bail was: Concillia Chinanzavana, Manuel Chinanzvavana, Fidelis Chiramba, Violet Mupfuranhewe, Colin Mutemagawu, Pieta Kaseke, Audrice Mbudzana, Broderick Takawira, Zacharia Nkomo, Chinoto Zulu, Regis Mujeyi, Mapfumo Gautsa and Jestina Mukoko.
Deputy Agriculture Minister Roy Bennett, photo-journalist Shadreck Anderson Manyere, MDC security chief Chris Dlamini, and Tsvangirai’s former aide Gandhi Mudzingwa remain locked up with pending bail applications. Bennett was granted bail last week only for the Attorney General Johannes Tomana to abuse the appeal process and delay his release.
Mukoko remains in hospital and is said to have told reporters, “Thank God I am free. I will be able to see my family and go home, if I am cleared, medically.” Defence lawyer Alec Muchadehama said of the 16 people who applied for bail, 13 were granted bail. The 3 others, Mudzingwa, Dlamini and Manyere are still appealing for bail. Out of the 13 granted bail only 7 are free with the remaining 6 failing to meet the prohibitive bail conditions.
Over 30 opposition and civil society activists were abducted and kept in custody over trumped up banditry and terrorism charges. Critics dismissed the charges as politically motivated.
Despite claims by Mugabe that only the courts would deal with the issue concerning the detainees, it was clear Monday a political deal had secured their release. Defence lawyers quietly admitted to journalists that their clients would not have tasted their freedom had it not been for Tsvangirai’s pressure on Monday.
Granted bail was: Concillia Chinanzavana, Manuel Chinanzvavana, Fidelis Chiramba, Violet Mupfuranhewe, Colin Mutemagawu, Pieta Kaseke, Audrice Mbudzana, Broderick Takawira, Zacharia Nkomo, Chinoto Zulu, Regis Mujeyi, Mapfumo Gautsa and Jestina Mukoko.
Deputy Agriculture Minister Roy Bennett, photo-journalist Shadreck Anderson Manyere, MDC security chief Chris Dlamini, and Tsvangirai’s former aide Gandhi Mudzingwa remain locked up with pending bail applications. Bennett was granted bail last week only for the Attorney General Johannes Tomana to abuse the appeal process and delay his release.
Mukoko remains in hospital and is said to have told reporters, “Thank God I am free. I will be able to see my family and go home, if I am cleared, medically.” Defence lawyer Alec Muchadehama said of the 16 people who applied for bail, 13 were granted bail. The 3 others, Mudzingwa, Dlamini and Manyere are still appealing for bail. Out of the 13 granted bail only 7 are free with the remaining 6 failing to meet the prohibitive bail conditions.
Over 30 opposition and civil society activists were abducted and kept in custody over trumped up banditry and terrorism charges. Critics dismissed the charges as politically motivated.
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