LUPANE — Four MDC-T councillors in Lupane East facing charges of threatening Zanu PF activists with violence last year were on Thursday further remanded to allow the State to gather enough facts.
Kayen Keen Mpofu (35), of Gwampa, Esau Sibanda (71) of Daluka, Stephen Mganyulwa Ngwenya (67) of Lupanda and Nah Khumalo (38) of St Paul allegedly threatened violence on Zanu PF activists who displayed anti- sanctions campaign placards during Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s visit of the constituency.
They were not asked to plead to the charges when they appeared before Lupane magistrate Takudzwa Gwazemba on Thursday.
The magistrate remanded them out of custody on free bail to April 11 for trial. They are represented by Lizwe Jamela of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.
The court heard that on October 27 last year, the four councilors allegedly connived to threaten Zanu PF youths, Soneni Dube and Bruce Moyo with violence at the New Registry Complex in Lupane where Tsvangirai was visiting.
It is the state case that the Prime Minister was touring government properties in Matabeleland North and Dube and Moyo took the opportunity to brandish their placards inscribed, “No to sanctions”.
Mpofu, Sibanda, Ngwenya and Khumalo allegedly disembarked from a vehicle when the Prime Minister arrived, confronted Dube and Moyo and confiscated the placard held by Moyo which they then tore before ordering the two to disappear from the place.
It is alleged the four further threatened to deal with the two Zanu PF activists if the MDC-T wins the forthcoming elections.
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