The MDCs Treasurer General, Roy Bennett Supreme Court Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku on Thursday threw out the states appeal against a High Court decision to acquit Bennett on treason and banditry charges. Bennett was acquitted in May last year after a High Court judge ruled the state had failed to connect him to a plot against Robert Mugabe. The state immediately stated its intentions to appeal this decision.
But speaking from South Africa, Bennett told SW Radio Africa that the Supreme Courts decision does not change anything, explaining that he still has three outstanding charges against him. He added that the current environment of ZANU PF sponsored violence and intimidation makes it even less likely that he can safely return to Zimbabwe.
Bringing to mind ZANU PFs attitude, their total duplicity in the Global Political Agreement (GPA), that fact that Mugabe is still taking a swipe at me whenever he can, theres no ways I can return back to Zimbabwe under there circumstances, Bennett said.
Bennett is MDCs nominated Deputy Minister of Agriculture, a post that Mugabe has refused to swear the official in to, claiming the charges against him were preventing him. The issue is one of the contentious outstanding issues in the GPA, which ZANU PF has refused to honour.
Bennett agreed on Thursday that it is highly unlikely he will ever be sworn into this post. The MDC official meanwhile also expressed grave concern about the wave of violence and intimidation against MDC members and supporters, warning that we are seeing an escalation of violence that could reach the levels we saw in 2008. I think we are heading for a very rocky period, Bennett said, adding: I think my colleagues and friends in the MDC are at serious risk.
Post published in: News