The magistrate in the case, Learnmore Mapiye charged the four CSU employees with causing malicious damage to property, in contravention of Section 140 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, four days after their arrest on Monday.
The CSU arrested employees, Fidelis Mudimu, Zachariah Godi and Tafadzwa Geza appeared at Bulawayo's Tredgold Magistrates Court after their transfer from Harare.
As part of their bail conditions, Mapiye ordered the accused to surrender their passports to the court clerk at Harare Magistrates' Courts and to report once every week on Mondays to the CID Law and Order section at Harare Central Police Station.
The lawyers who represented the three CSU senior officers registered their complaints against the inhumane treatment that their clients were subjected to, including over-detention, being shackled while being moved from Kwekwe to Bulawayo, denial to wear spectacles while in Bulawayo police cells and the raiding of the CSU offices using a defective search warrant.
Tarisai Mutangi, Godfrey Nyoni, Blessing Gorejena, Lizwe Jamela, Jeremiah Mutongi Bamu and Nosimilo Chanayiwa, who are all ZLHR members, represented the accused.
According to State prosecutor Marlvin Nzombe, the three CSU representatives, together with some unidentified individuals, smeared some MDC graffiti on an information centre located in Mpopoma high density suburb in Bulawayo in October in contravention of Section 140 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
"The accused, together with some unidentified individuals smeared some MDC graffiti at an information center in Mpompoma," said Nzombe.
The State claimed that the CSU senior staff members inscribed the words "MDC" and "MDC Chinja Ndizvo" on a bill board and on a pre-cast wall at the information centre.
The CSU workers were arrested on Monday after police raided their offices in search of "offensive and subversive material" from the organisation's offices in Harare.
Post published in: News