The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)treasurer-general and deputy Agriculture minister-designate, Senator Roy Bennett was yesterday summoned to appear at the Chipinge Magistrates’ Court on a nine year old charge that he hoarded maize. This has been seen by critics as frantic efforts by ZANU PF to prevent the politician from assuming his office in government as the terrorism trial teeters on verge of collapse.
Bennett was served with the papers as he was entering the High Court Wednesday, where he was standing trial on charges of banditry, insurgency and terrorism.
The papers, from the Attorney General's office, advised him to appear at the Chipinge Magistrates’ Court next Tuesday on charges that he breached the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) Act in 2001 for hoarding 92 tonnes of maize. The maize was produce from his Charleswood Estate in Chimanimani.
At the High Court today, Justice Muchineripi Bhunu postponed judgement to May 10 in his long running terrorism trial. He also suspended his bail conditions to the same date.
Justice Bhunu also ruled that Sen. Bennett could access his passport from the Clerk of Court if he wanted to go on a business trip outside the country.
Bennett returned to Zimbabwe in January 2009 after spending nearly two years in exile in South Africa. The MDC's treasurer-general was arrested in February last year, accused of plotting against President Mugabe's government.
The charges were that he illegally possessed arms for the purposes of committing terrorism and banditry. Bennett denies the charges, which carry a possible death sentence.
On May 10, the High Court will make a decision whether he will be put on his defence over the charges.
Justice Bhunu will rule on an application for discharge lodged by the defence team at the close of the State case three weeks that the State had failed to establish a prima facie case that Bennett plotted to assassinate President Robert Mugabe in 2006.
The prosecution, led by Attorney General (AG) Johannes Tomana, has vehemently opposed the application for discharge insisting it had placed enough evidence before the court to prove that Bennett had a case to answer.
Tomana says the fact that Bennett fled to South Africa in 2006 showed that he had a case to answer.
But Bennett says he could not stomach going to prison again after he was sentenced to 12 months in jail for shoving the Justice minister in Parliament.In 2004 Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa told Bennett in parliament his Charleswood Estate in Chimanimani would be taken by the government and resettled.
Chinamasa called Bennett's forefathers "thieves and murderers", saying he deserved to lose his farm after benefiting from a British colonial system that robbed black Zimbabweans of their land. In the heat of the argument, Bennett pushed the minister to the ground.
The MDC said Wednesday it viewed the latest charge on Hon Bennett as a contrived political plot to haunt him and prevent him from taking up his post as deputy minister of Agriculture.
Zimbabwe Reporter quoted an MDC official saying the latest charge on Bennett "is the height of persecution of a man whose only crime is that he is white and he is MDC."
Just last Friday, state security agents blocked Sen. Bennett and his wife, Heather from proceeding to Charleswood Estate despite being granted permission to collect his personal property including the remains of his father.
"Attorney-General Johannes Tomana has once again proved why he is an outstanding issue," the MDC spokesman said. "His blatant abuse of office to persecute an innocent man has reached ridiculous heights and there is no wonder why there is a national call for him to be investigated for abuse of office."
- Simbarashe Nembaware and Zimbabwe Reporter
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Police Raids Bulawayo Art Gallery
Zimbabwe's disregard of basic human rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of association was again put to the fore on Friday when heavily armed anti riot police raided the Bulawayo Art Gallery and arrested Owen Maseko the organiser of the Gukurahundi exhibition which was going on.
Maseko a solo-artist had organized a two day event to exhibit pictures of the Gukurahundi massacres. The exhibition which kicked off on Thursday at the Bulawayo Art gallery showcased pictures of the victims, relatives and those of the disused mines where bodies of the victims were dumped by Five Brigade soldiers.
Maseko’s lawyer Kucaca Phulu of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) said a group of armed police raided the Bulawayo Art Gallery along Main Street early morning, soon after opening and confiscated pictures before arresting his client.
“Police in riot gear arrived early in the morning at the gallery and told everybody present to disperse before they confiscated exhibition pictures and arrested Maseko”.
“He is still detained at Bulawayo Central police station and will go to court on Monday, but we are still trying to make an urgent High Court application for his release before that day and also for police to return the pictures,” said Phulu.
Phulu said this shows that “there is still no rule of law and no freedom expression in the country even after the formation of the inclusive government. Zanu PF is still sending police to terrorize citizens”.
The raid of Bulawayo Art Gallery and arrest of Maseko came just 24 hours after truckloads of police swooped down on Harare Art gallery and removed the pictures displayed by the Zimbabwe Human Rights (ZimRights).
The exhibition was part of a growing campaign by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC and human rights activists to publicize a history of violence against the MDC over the last decade.
In 1982, President Mugabe’s Zanu-PF in pursuit of a one party state sought help from North Korea to train the infamous Five Brigade soldiers. The brigade was deployed in the Midlands and Matabeleland regions in an operation code named Gukurahundi.
For about five years, the Five Brigade massacred innocent civilians using the propaganda excuse that there had been insurgency in the Zapu strongholds. Innocent civilians estimated at up to 20 000 were killed while thousands disappeared. They were buried in mass graves while some thrown in disused mines.
The move was designed to force Mugabe and his cohorts to acknowledge hundreds of murders and thousands of cases of torture, arson and looting of MDC supporters, ending the immunity the perpetrators have enjoyed.
Lawyers say only a handful of perpetrators of those crimes have been prosecuted, despite researchers having compiled detailed reports of thousands of incidents, and handing them to authorities. The MDC is demanding a truth and reconciliation commission, but Mugabe insists that bygones are bygones.
- Simbarashe Nembaware and RadioVop Zimbabwe
Maseko a solo-artist had organized a two day event to exhibit pictures of the Gukurahundi massacres. The exhibition which kicked off on Thursday at the Bulawayo Art gallery showcased pictures of the victims, relatives and those of the disused mines where bodies of the victims were dumped by Five Brigade soldiers.
Maseko’s lawyer Kucaca Phulu of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) said a group of armed police raided the Bulawayo Art Gallery along Main Street early morning, soon after opening and confiscated pictures before arresting his client.
“Police in riot gear arrived early in the morning at the gallery and told everybody present to disperse before they confiscated exhibition pictures and arrested Maseko”.
“He is still detained at Bulawayo Central police station and will go to court on Monday, but we are still trying to make an urgent High Court application for his release before that day and also for police to return the pictures,” said Phulu.
Phulu said this shows that “there is still no rule of law and no freedom expression in the country even after the formation of the inclusive government. Zanu PF is still sending police to terrorize citizens”.
The raid of Bulawayo Art Gallery and arrest of Maseko came just 24 hours after truckloads of police swooped down on Harare Art gallery and removed the pictures displayed by the Zimbabwe Human Rights (ZimRights).
The exhibition was part of a growing campaign by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC and human rights activists to publicize a history of violence against the MDC over the last decade.
In 1982, President Mugabe’s Zanu-PF in pursuit of a one party state sought help from North Korea to train the infamous Five Brigade soldiers. The brigade was deployed in the Midlands and Matabeleland regions in an operation code named Gukurahundi.
For about five years, the Five Brigade massacred innocent civilians using the propaganda excuse that there had been insurgency in the Zapu strongholds. Innocent civilians estimated at up to 20 000 were killed while thousands disappeared. They were buried in mass graves while some thrown in disused mines.
The move was designed to force Mugabe and his cohorts to acknowledge hundreds of murders and thousands of cases of torture, arson and looting of MDC supporters, ending the immunity the perpetrators have enjoyed.
Lawyers say only a handful of perpetrators of those crimes have been prosecuted, despite researchers having compiled detailed reports of thousands of incidents, and handing them to authorities. The MDC is demanding a truth and reconciliation commission, but Mugabe insists that bygones are bygones.
- Simbarashe Nembaware and RadioVop Zimbabwe
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