The MDC Today
Friday, 20 August 2010
The MDC MP for Bikita South in Masvingo province, Hon. Jani Varandeni was yesterday detained for more than 10 hours at Masvingo Central police station on trumped-up charges of attacking over 60 Zanu PF supporters at a rally at Mashoko business in Bikita South. Hon. Varandeni was on his way to a Copac outreach meeting when he was arrested and detained for 10 hours.
However, he was released after the police failed to get further evidence to warrant his detention overnight. The trumped allegation against Hon. Varandeni is that he stormed a Zanu PF rally last week and started assaulting people with sticks.
In Kadoma, MDC Ward 4 councillor, Bothwell Pasipamire was yesterday released on free bail at the Kadoma magistrate’s court on yet another trumped-up charge of undermining the President. He was arrested at his home last week and is facing charges of saying that; “Mr Mugabe is an old beast ready for slaughter,” at a ward meeting. The court ruled that the case would proceed by way of summons as the police were still investigating the issue.
The MDC acting Mashonaland Central provincial chairperson, Godfrey Chimombe was today acquitted by a Bindura magistrate on trumped-up charges of undermining the President. Chimombe was arrested in Mt Darwin in February this year after addressing a rally. Police at the rally claimed that Chimombe had said that Mr Robert Mugabe was epileptic. However, the magistrate dismissed the claim as the State had failed to bring in witnesses to testify in court. The magistrate said it was actually the State that was undermining the President by bringing falsehoods to the courts.
Yesterday, the acting Bindura mayor, Ivory Matanhire, Jonathan Kapasi, the MDC Mashonaland Central provincial secretary and eight MDC activists appeared in court on trumped-up charges of destroying the houses of two Zanu PF supporters in June 2008 in Chipadze suburb. They were remanded out of custody on free bail to 4 October. The complainants are; Betty Chikava, the Zanu PF MP for Mt Darwin East and Wellington Chitehwe, a Zanu PF supporter.
In Manicaland province, Copac meetings were yesterday abandoned after the 10 Copac teams in the province failed to secure fuel from the Central Equipment and Mechanical Department (CMED). Hundreds of people who wanted to participate in the meetings were left stranded after the teams failed to travel from Mutare to Chipinge.
--
MDC Information & Publicity Department
Harvest House
|