The 21 people who were arrested in connection to an anti-Zimbabwe Electoral Commission protest on Wednesday were remanded in custody to Monday 6 August 2018. They are being charged with committing public violence as defined in section 36 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. The 21 were represented by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights Lawyers (ZHLR) Gift Mtisi and Denford Halimani when they appeared before a Harare magistrate yesterday. They were all remanded to tomorrow for their bail hearing. The demo they were arrested in connection to, was in protest at the delayed announcement of the first post-Robert Mugabe election. The MDC Alliance said the ruling Zanu PF party was attempting to rig the vote to allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to win.Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers raided MDC Alliance offices in Harare and arrested the 21 after obtaining a search warrant authorising them to search for grenades, stones, unlicensed firearms, ammunition, computers, computer accessories and some subversive material. They also had search warrants for MDC Alliance leaders Nelson Chamisa, Tendai Biti, Happymore Chidziva, Denford Ngadziore, Stewart Mukoyi, pro-democracy campaigner Makomborero Haruzivishe and National Patriotic Front members Shadreck Mashayamombe and Jim Kunaka.
Back to top