The State has withdrawn charges against Constitution Defenders Forum (CDF) Convenor Tendai Biti and fellow leader Morgan Ncube after the two spent seven months on remand.
In a statement issued on Monday, 19 October, CDF National Spokesperson Jacob Rukweza welcomed the decision.
“The Constitution Defenders Forum welcomes the withdrawal of charges against its leaders Tendai Biti and Morgan Ncube today, seven months after their arrest on 21 March 2026,” he said.
Rukweza said the two should not have been arrested in the first place.
“We must make it very clear from the outset that the two CDF leaders were not supposed to be arrested. From day one, we have known and maintained that our leaders were innocent because they did not commit any crime. The withdrawal of charges by the State has vindicated us and confirmed what we had always known,” he said.
The two were arrested on 21 March 2026 on allegations of convening a public meeting in Mutare without notifying the regulating authority, in contravention of the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act.
“We have always known that the allegations were false and trumped up. We are also aware that the arrest and persecution of CDF leaders is a systematic and deliberate strategy by the ZANU PF regime to suppress dissent and victimise those speaking against the violation of the national constitution,” Rukweza said.
“The pattern has been very clear. The ZANU PF regime has decided to target and victimise CDF leaders who are at the forefront of the campaign against the mutilation of the 2013 Constitution.
“The objective is to intimidate and frustrate CDF leaders, instil fear in the general public and to demobilise the democratic contingent fighting against the mutilation of the national constitution.
“We know that there is method in the ZANU PF madness. However, the regime must know that we are prepared to die before we can surrender the struggle for the restoration of the 2013 Constitution.
“The CDF membership will not be shaken or intimidated by these primitive tactics by a regime intoxicated with power and determined to turn this republic into a monarchy.
“We are determined to fight on until the 2013 Constitution is restored.”
Leave a Reply Cancel reply