Mamombe yesterday appeared before magistrate Bianca
Makwande together with five other accused persons that include MDC Alliance
youth leader Obey Sithole on charges of participating in an unsanctioned
protest during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
The MDC Alliance legislator was committed to prison by
magistrate Makwande for two weeks and she will be back in court on October 8,
when the results are expected to be available.
But the State said Mamombe would not be out of prison on
October 8 as was ordered by the court because results of the tests conducted on
her would only be released after four to six weeks.
Prosecutor Michael Reza told the court that the accused
were in court for trial, but it could not start because the government doctors
had not availed the mental examination results for Mamombe.
Reza said the State was expecting the mental examination
results in four to six weeks’ time and that is when they would provide a trial
date.
The legislator’s lawyers Obey Shava and Gift Mtisi of the
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, however, put the State on notice that if
they failed to resume trial by October 30, they would file for refusal of
further remand.
But Reza said the trial would be guided by the availability
of the results. Mamombe was remanded in custody for mental examination after
her lawyer submitted in court that she was not mentally fit to stand trial.
She was supposed to stand trial in a matter she is accused
of faking abduction together with MDC Alliance members Cecilia Chimbiri and
Netsai Marova.
The trio was reportedly abducted in May and found dumped in
rural Bindura after being sexually abused and tortured by suspected State
security agents.
Makwande, however, postponed the matter to October 13 for a
possible trial date. Newsday
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