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MLF’s Siwela flees trial

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A WARRANT of arrest was yesterday issued against former Mthwakazi Liberation Front (MLF) activist Paul Siwela, who was facing a treason charge for advocating the violent overthrow of the government, after he failed to attend court.

A WARRANT of arrest was yesterday issued against former Mthwakazi Liberation Front (MLF) activist Paul Siwela, who was facing a treason charge for advocating the violent overthrow of the government, after he failed to attend court.

BY SILAS NKALA

Siwela is suspected to have skipped the country ahead of the determination of his application for discharge at the High Court in Bulawayo.

He was supposed to have appeared together with his co-accused Charles Thomas and John Gazi before Justice Nicholas Ndou.

The State produced a letter allegedly written by Siwela which they said they got from one of Siwela’s lawyers Sindiso Mazibisa.

“I received correspondence from Mazibisa written by accused three (Siwela). It appears he has gone out of the country,” State Counsel Lovack Masuku told the court. Justice Ndou then ordered that a warrant of arrest be issued.

Justice Ndou also dismissed an application for discharge by Thomas saying since he was found in possession of subversive flyers, there were no clear reasons why he should not be placed on his defence.

The judge acquitted Gazi saying evidence brought to court did not link him in any way with the distribution of the said subversive flyers and there were a lot of contradictions in evidence brought to court against him by the witnesses.