Kariba Mayor and five other top MDC officials released on bail

By Tichaona Sibanda
26 September 2006

Six top MDC officials including the Mayor of the resort town of Kariba, John Houghton have been released from police custody after they were arrested on Saturday for allegedly organising an illegal meeting.

Their lawyer Tapiwa Muchineripi said the MDC officials who included KweKwe legislator Blessing Chebundo, former Mayor of Chegutu Francis Dhlakama, national executive members Silas Matamisa and Jephat Karemba, plus an unnamed provincial executive, were granted bail after each paying a fine of Z$10 000.

The group will now appear in court for an initial hearing on the 13th November. The magistrate, according to Muchineripi, ordered them not to interfere with witnesses. They will also be reporting to police once a fortnight.

The group was arrested in Nyamhunga, Kariba on Saturday together with eleven other people described by Muchineripi as committee members at ward level for a Non Governmental Organisation dealing with HIV/AIDS in the town.

‘The rest of the group gave warned and cautioned statements at which they all denied any wrongdoing. After out of court deliberations with the prosecution team, it emerged that police had no legal basis to place them on remand. But they were charged and released on free bail,’ said Muchineripi

The MDC released a statement on Monday condemning the arrests and accusing the police of working hand in hand with the Robert Mugabe regime. Nelson Chamisa, the party spokesman said in the statement that the ‘police should rise above party politics and refrain from being an appendage of Zanu (PF) structures.’