They had been taken to court earlier this morning charged with
‘distributing materials likely to cause a breach of the peace’, Section 37
1(b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. The court
documentation was not in order however and they were returned to Bulawayo
Central Police Station.
They returned to court late morning where they were released into their
lawyer’s custody. They are expected to report back to the police station
tomorrow morning at 8am to see what else they could be charged with.
Both are in good spirits after their ordeal.
Trust had been arrested after the second demonstration by a plain clothed
police officer who claimed to have seen him in the original protest.
Surrounded by police officers so that he couldn’t be seen, he was driven
into the bush and around the streets in an attempt to disorient him. He was
then taken to the private residence of a senior-ranking police officer
(wearing three stars on his shoulder) in Khumalo, a suburb of Bulawayo. This
officer ordered he be released into the surrounding bushy area. The
arresting officers argued amongst themselves that they could not do this
however as people knew he had been taken. Trust, as he had been trained to
do in an abduction scenario, had made a commotion when he was being
arrested, shouting that he would die for WOZA if necessary. They then
resolved to take him to Bulawayo Central where riot police tried to force
him to eat the WOZA banner that he had been arrested with. When he refused
they began to beat him and when he fell to the ground, continued to kick
him with their booted feet before finally pouring a bucket of cold water
over him.
Cynthia had been arrested outside butchery after the second demonstration by
a police officer that she had given a Woza Moya newsletter. She was taken to
the police post in Lobengula Street Mall and questioned as to why WOZA was
demanding bread and roses. A female police officer slapped her across the
face several times, accusing WOZA of being the reason that they are so badly
paid but claimed that now that they had arrested her they had ‘hit the
jackpot’. Officers also threatened to dump her at Chipangali (a wildlife
orphanage just outside of Bulawayo) so that the lions could eat her. She was
later walked to Bulawayo Central, being pushed and shoved all the way.
More members have continued to receive medical treatment for injuries they
sustained on Monday, including a young man who had been hit across the head
with a baton stick and a woman that had to receive three stitches on her leg
after being hit with a baton stick.
Post published in: News