HARARE – ZCTU secretary general Japhet Moyo was ordered freed on bail by a High Court judge last Friday – but he was yet to taste freedom on Monday after prison authorities said he had another case which his lawyers were not aware of.
Moyo was charged with subversion over the January 14 fuel protests which came after the ZCTU called for a three-day national stay-away.
The ZCTU said despite his bail conditions – including payment of $2,000 – being met, “there are technicalities on prison records that have two cases with different crime report numbers, while Moyo has been formally charged on one case.”
Police have been re-arresting opposition and labour officials soon after their release on bail and charging them with fresh crimes.
In Gweru, MDC MP Amos Chibaya (Mkoba) was freed on $500 bail by the Masvingo High Court after he was charged with incitement of public violence. He was immediately re-arrested on new charges of subversion, in which prosecutors are relying on comments he allegedly made to a newspaper.
Chibaya appeared before Gweru magistrate Charity Maphosa on Saturday facing the new charges and was remanded in custody to February 16.
Chiwundura MP Livingstone Chimina, also granted bail on public violence charges, was back in court on Saturday, this time charged with incitement of public violence. He was remanded in custody to February 7.
Chibaya is facing charges of subverting a constitutionally elected government following an article that was published in the Daily News on January 2, 2019.
In the article, Chibaya is quoted as saying: “2019 is the year that we are going to send Mnangagwa packing. This month, unlike before, we are not going to toyi-toyi around the streets but straight to State House because that is where the person who stole our votes resides.”
