RULING Zanu PF party youths yesterday ran amok at the Mbare Magistrates Court threatening to set ablaze lawyers’ vehicles if three members of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) who were arrested on yet to be established charges were granted bail.
This was after two CCC members Tapiwa Chibaya and Phanex
Zikimvu were arrested on Saturday after they went to court in solidarity with
Last Chinodya, a CCC member arrested last Friday for allegedly threatening to
kill a Zanu PF member.
Bail ruling in Chinodya’s case of threatening violence will
be heard today.
Through their lawyer, advocate Wilbert Mandinde of the
Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, Chibaya and Zikimvu deferred bail application
citing failure to be served with court papers.
Chinodya was arrested last Friday at his workplace after
Tonderai Rusere, a Zanu PF youth made a police report alleging that he had
threatened to kill him if he continued to campaign for the ruling party in
Mbare.
Chinodya however, claims that the allegations are false and
designed to criminalise him and other CCC leadership ahead of the 2023 polls.
While making his submissions, the trio’s lawyer Mandinde
said his clients chose to apply for bail through the High Court.
“My clients have elected that they will not apply for bail
now because they have not been served with court papers,”Mandinde said.
Chibaya and Zikimvu were remanded to October 17 by Mbare
magistrate Nyasha Vhitironi.
But during court proceedings yesterday, Zanu PF supporters
numbering over 300 stormed court premises, toyi-toying, and threaten to set
ablaze the trio’s lawyers if they were granted bail.
Some of the Zanu PF members also threatened Mandinde for
representing the trio. The situation was so tense that riot police had to be
called in. Newsday
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