Cynthia Manjoro finally granted bail
High Court judge, Justice Chinembiri Bhunu on Wednesday finally granted bail to Cynthia Manjoro one of the 29 MDC-T members accused of murdering a police officer in Glen View in May last year.
The defence council led by Beatrice Mtetwa was able prove to the court that since Manjoro was attending to family business on the day in question she could not have been at the scene of the incident at the same time.
State prosecutor Edmore Nyazamba consented to the ruling.
The MDC-T believe “This ruling is ground-breaking and might set a precedent for other accused persons as their alibis also show that they have no case to answer.” Manjoro spent more than a year in custody despite overwhelming evidence that she had no case to answer.
Testifying in court on Wednesday investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Clever Ntini said the four teams dispatched on the day to arrest MDC-T members carried out raids at night and he denied claims that the activists were assaulted, denied food and access to legal representation.
Commenting on the release of Manjoro, Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC-T spokesperson said:
“We welcome the release of Cynthia Manjoro who has been unlawfully detained on murder charges involving the murder of a police officer at Glen View 3 shopping centre last year. We are however disappointed at the continued incarceration of the other 30 MDC-T members on similar trumped up charges and we therefore demand their immediate release”.
Meanwhile in Masvingo, the matron and staff of St Anthony’s Hospital in Jerera, are receiving threats from unknown people who are saying that they want to know why they allowed Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to visit Nelson Bvudzijena, an MDC-T member who was admitted at the hospital.
Bvudzijena was admitted to hospital after he was injured when his home was petrol bombed by known Zanu PF youths on 29 September in Mashingaidze village.
Early this month, Tsvangirai who was in Jerera accompanied by Mai Tsvangirai for an MDC-T memorial service for victims of the 2008 political violence, visited Bvudzijena in hospital.
However, suspected Zanu PF members and State security agents have been visiting and making calls to the matron and other staff members asking why they allowed Tsvangirai to visit Bvudzijena.
During the visit, Tsvangirai and his wife Tsvangirai expressed shock at the injuries sustained by Bvudzijena and denounced Zanu PF for continuing to engage in violent activities.
Meanwhile, some soldiers have been deployed to Mapfungautsi in Gokwe to carry out a Zanu PF No Vote campaign ahead of the next referendum on the draft Constitution.
The soldiers led by one “Cde Mabhunu” and “Cde Magwizi Moyo” are terrorising villagers in the district and forcing them to attend their meetings.
Last week, the soldiers forced villagers to attend meetings in wards 14, 23 and 24 telling and intimidating them that they should not vote “Yes” in the referendum.
The MDC-T says it condemns all acts aimed at harassing and intimidating people by Zanu PF. “We call on the Police to exercise their professional duty and investigate all reported cases without fear or favour,” the party said.
