HARARE – Nine students were arrested on Monday while protesting outside a Harare court where their leader was freed on Z$2,000 bail after being charged with participating in a demonstration with intent to promote public violence, breach of peace or bigotry.
Nancy Njenge, Donald Marevanhema, Talent Jinga, Arnold Mazonde, Mitchell Lieto, Zvikomborero Mumbirimi, Takudzwa Gwaze and John Ncobo were rounded-up by anti-riot police and driven away on the back of an open-top truck.
Their lawyer Obey Shava said the nine would spend the night in police cells, and would appear in court on Tuesday facing public order offences.
Zimbabwe National Students Union leader Takudzwa Ngadziore, 22, was arrested on Thursday last week a few days after he took part in a demonstration outside Impala Car Rental which is accused of leasing its cars to state security agents who abducted a student in Bulawayo.
Ngadziore was released on Z$2,000 bail on Monday and ordered not to go 100 meters of Impala Car Rental.
Impala reportedly leased out dozens of vehicles to security forces ahead of planned anti-government protests on July 31. The vehicles were used in human rights violations across the country, including a Ford Ranger vehicle which was used to abduct 22-year-old journalism student Tawanda Muchehiwa in Bulawayo on July 30.
The students have been demanding that Impala Car Rental comes clean on the individuals involved in Muchehiwa’s abduction, and the location where he was driven to be tortured over three days before he was dumped back in Bulawayo badly injured.
