THE four Chingwizi villagers, who were on Monday convicted of attacking police officers and burning two police vehicles in protest against the forced relocation of their clinic from Chingwizi Transit Camp to Nuanetsi Ranch last year, were yesterday sentenced to a five-year jail term each.
PHILLIP CHIDAVAENZI SENIOR REPORTER
The quartet of Patrick Changwesha, Mike Mudyanembwa, Samuel Mubaiwa and Nyengeterai Tagwirei was sentenced after a full trial before Chiredzi magistrate Tayengwa Chibanda.
Thirty villagers were initially charged with committing the offence, but 26 others were later acquitted for lack of incriminating evidence.
The villagers, who were represented by a team of lawyers from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, were arrested last August and charged with assaulting police officers at the camp and burning two police vehicles.