The imprisonment of prominent Ntabazinduna traditional
leader, Chief Felix Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni, has been described as a
“political sham” amid indications that his lawyers are preparing for an appeal.
Ndiweni, who is very vocal against President Emmerson
Mnangagwa’s government, was on Friday jailed 18 months by Bulawayo magistrate
Gladmore Mushove for malicious damage to property.
Twenty-three villagers that were charged alongside him were
only sentenced to 525 hours of community service each.
The chief and his subjects were accused of destroying a
fellow villager’s crops. Former Education minister David Coltart said it was clear
that there was political interference in the case where former Home Affairs
minister Obert Mpofu and
Zanu PF ‘were deeply involved”.
“The prosecution was spurious, the judgement deeply flawed
and the sentence utterly ridiculous,” he said.
“ Even if one accepts the deeply flawed State case as fact
(which is strenuously denied by Chief Ndiweni), the damage alleged to property
is only RTGS$300,
namely US$30, for which Chief Ndiweni has been sentenced to
18 months’ imprisonment.
“There was no evidence that Chief Ndiweni himself damaged
the property, but somehow he has been found vicariously guilty.
“This is a profoundly shocking development and the hand of
Zanu PF is clearly obvious.”
“The public at the court (on Friday) were deeply angered by
the jailing of this honest, decent, compassionate and principled traditional
leader, so much so
that riot police had to be deployed in case their anger
boiled over.”
Mhlonipheki Ncube, the MDC provincial spokesperson in
Matabeleland North, said his party would stand by Ndiweni whom he said was
being persecuted.
“We are quite aware that this is not aimed at the chief in
particular but just to instill fear in the generality of disgruntled people of
Matabeleland and the
entire nation,” he said.
“We want once again to take this oppotunity to join our
president Advocate Nelson Chamisa in calling for the immédiate release of Chief
Ndiwani for what they are doing is only adding salt to the wound.”
A day before Ndiweni was sent to jail, he had posted videos
on Twitter urging Zimbabweans to join peaceful protests against Mnangagwa’s
government. Indications
are that his lawyers will file an appeal by tomorrow and
also apply for bail. Standard
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