×
NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

Jailed MDC-T activists appeal

News
LUPANE — Four MDC-T activists who were recently sentenced to 30 months in jail each for assaulting Zanu PF activists in the run-up to the 2008 presidential runoff election have been granted $50 bail pending their appeal against both conviction and sentence.

LUPANE — Four MDC-T activists who were recently sentenced to 30 months in jail each for assaulting Zanu PF activists in the run-up to the 2008 presidential runoff election have been granted $50 bail pending their appeal against both conviction and sentence.

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

Norman Sibanda (50), Mane Patrick Ncube (47), Thulani Sibanda (34) and Robert Karat Tshuma (60), who were already serving their prison terms at Khami Prison, made the application for bail and leave pending appeal through their lawyer Lison Ncube on Thursday.

In granting them bail, Lupane magistrate Takudzwa Gwazemba said the State had failed to explain why the case had taken too long to be heard. Eleven Zanu PF activists — Celesile Ndlovu, Austin Moyo, Aleck Moyo, Sithembile Ndlovu, Catherine Ngwenya, Jonah Ndlovu, Julia Ndlovu, Abraham Sibanda, Sharon Ngwenya, Phionah Nyoni, and Siphokuhle Ncube — identified the four as having participated in the skirmishes.

The court heard that the MDC-T activists attacked the Zanu PF members for supporting the former liberation party in an MDC-T stronghold, Gomoza.

The court heard that between June 22-23 in 2008, the MDC-T activists went to Holomoka village in Lupane where they raided Zanu PF activists at their homes and fields and  assaulted them with stones, knobkerries, axes, iron rods and logs.

The attacks were later reported to police, leading to the arrest of the MDC T activists.

Activists indicated rights were violated

They indicated that their rights were violated when the case was delayed for four years and if they had been sentenced then, they would have finished serving their sentence by now.