The two project lawyers at ZLHR together with 8 members of the women pressure group, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) last appeared in court on 28 April 2009 when their trial failed to commence after some police officers considered as the States witnesses failed to turn up in court. The trial has been postponed three times since the arrest of the lawyers in February.
Hanzi and Zhuwarara were arrested by unidentified members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) on 10 February 2009 as they were returning to the office (situated next to the Parliament building) after lunch. Regrettably, they were caught in the crossfire of further indiscriminate arrests carried out by the ZRP arising from a demonstration outside Parliament building in Harare by WOZA. With the complicity of Parliamentary staff, they were unlawfully detained in the Parliament Guard Room, until police details removed them to Harare Central police station. At the time of their arrest lawyers who attempted to get access to Hanzi and Zhuwarara at Harare Central were denied access by the police.
Meanwhile, Chipinge Magistrate Samuel Zuze on Friday 15 May 2009 reserved judgment to 22 May 2009 after defence lawyers applied for bail pending appeal in the case of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Member of Parliament for Chipinge East Mathias Mlambo, who was sentenced to 10 months in prison for allegedly defeating and obstructing a police officer during the discharge of his duties.
The defence lawyers applied for bail pending appeal arguing that the legislators appeal to the High Court on both conviction and sentence had prospects of success.