Joy for student leader as girlfriend released from jail

By Henry Makiwa
25 October 2007

There was joy for Edison Hlatshwayo, the student activist who spent a month in remand prison, as he saw his girlfriend Brenda Mupfurutsa released by a Masvingo court on Thursday.
Mupfurutsa was arrested Monday, together with George Makamure and Ogylive Makova, on charges of contempt of court following a demonstration against the continued incarceration of Hlatshwayo. Another activist Joel Dungudza, a part 3 Bachelor of Social Science student at Great Zimbabwe University in Masvingo, was picked up the following day on similar charges.
All four were released on a Z$5 million bail Thursday, amid much elation.
Hlatshwayo, who was only released on Wednesday after being in jail since 27th September, accused the police of arresting the students on very flimsy grounds.
He said: “Those guys had not done anything illegal other than registering their need to see the release of a friend. And for that reason, Brenda was arrested just because she is my girlfriend. I myself experienced much torture inside. I am still in pain because of the constant assaults by officers and traumatised by their constant barks at me. I am sad to note that the country’s legal system has literally gone to the dogs,” Hlatshwayo said.
Hlatshwayo had been facing charges of malicious injury to property and it was feared his health was failing due to poor conditions in prison and severe assaults by police.
The prosecution insisted that Hlatshwayo damaged a telephone booth during disturbances at the university earlier in September, and opposed bail on numerous occasions claiming he would abscond.