Coup plotters to appear in court Friday
By Tichaona Sibanda
18 June 2007

Six men, including a former army officer, will go on trial Friday for allegedly plotting a coup to overthrow Robert Mugabe, reports said on Monday. They have all denied the charges.

Albert Mugove Matapo, a retired army captain, Nyasha Zivuku, Oncemore Mudzuradhona, Emmanuel Marara, Patson Mapfure and Shingirai Mutemachani, face treason charges, which carry the death penalty on conviction, according to their lawyer Jonathan Samkange.

Court records indicate that the defendants allegedly wanted to replace Mugabe with Rural Housing and Amenities Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa. The Zanu (PF) strongman has denied any involvement saying the accusations are ‘stupid’. The Prosecution team told the court Matapo wanted the soldiers to take control of country after which he planned to invite Mnangagwa and others to form a government.

High court Judge Tedias Karwi ordered that the bail application for the six men should be held in an open court, dealing a major blow to efforts by the State to keep the matter under wraps. However there seems to be doubt among Zimbabweans over the foiled coup attempt.

The MDC’s secretary for Security and Intelligence Giles Mutsekwa said the government has an obligation to release the details of the plot to the nation as the issue was of national interest.

‘We are beginning to see loopholes in this whole thing and we are getting indicators that this was a stage-managed coup plot. For a start nowhere in the world do you get people who matter in the country facing a threat of a coup but managing to travel outside the country as if nothing has happened,’ Mutsekwa said.

He was referring to Mugabe and defence minister Sydney Sekeramayi. A few days after reports of the foiled plot, Mugabe flew to Tripoli for talks with the Libyan leader while Sekeramayi is reported to be visiting China.

‘I suspect this is another plot by the regime to eliminate threats from inside its divided camp and to divert attention from the real issues of political and economic problems. The names of the suspects tell you a big story. Only two of them have a military background and yet a coup is all about soldiers taking over power and not civilians,’ Mutsekwa added.

On Saturday high court Judge Tedias Karwi refused to grant the six suspects bail at the request of state prosecutors but insisted there be transparency by holding the trial in public. The state Herald newspaper reported that Matapo allegedly conspired with his co-accused and recruited members of the security forces from the Zimbabwe National Army, the Air Force of Zimbabwe and the police and gave them some tasks in preparation for the coup.