HARARE – Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) faction leader Jameson Timba and 34 party activists were on Wednesday handed wholly suspended sentences following their conviction last week for convening an unsanctioned gathering.
The veteran opposition politician and allies spent over five months under a widely condemned pre-trial detention following their June 16 arrest.
All their efforts to secure bail had not been successful.
While detained, their party accused the government of manipulating court process to deny the activists their freedom, claims that the Zanu PF left government denies.
In sentencing the activists, Harare magistrate Collet Ncube elected not to hand them custodial sentences saying they all deserved a second chance.
He went on to impose suspended sentences varying from 12 months to two years ruling that if they make any similar mistake, they will get the punishment that they had been spared.
Ncube also took into consideration that most of the activists had no means to pay fines.
“It is this court’s view that they are first offenders, they should be given another chance… it is not in isolation, the offenders have been in custody since June and they have already served their sentence.
“Their five and half presentence detention should be factored in their sentence,” he said.
