State agents to testify against Bennett

The trial date has been put on November 9 and we have been given a list papers with names of witnesses most of them are state security agents and police officers, said Bennetts lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa.

Mtetwa said it appeared from the list of witnesses that the states star witness in the case is Peter Michael Hitschman but she was unsure whether Mutare gun collector would indeed testify against Bennett.

Hitschman has previously said he would refuse to testify against Bennett because he did not want to lie against the MDC politician.

The star witness appears to be Hitschman but we will know when the trial starts, said Mtetwa.

The other witnesses are Ronald Muderedzwa, former police officer commanding Manicaland province, Michael Joseph Nyakatama, a central intelligence agent (CIO), Sipho James Makore, a police officer, Arnold Zorodzai Dliwayo, police officer, Francis Cole a firearms specialist at police central investigations department and Panganai Mugejo who works for the defence ministry among others.

Bennett is accused of possessing arms of war with the intention to commit sabotage, terrorism, and banditry. Her faces the death penalty or life imprisonment if found guilty.

But the MDC politician denies the charges that party leader Morgan Tsvangirai has dismissed as politically motivated and a ploy to block Bennett from taking up his job in the unity government.

Bennett was two weeks ago indicted by a Mutare magistrate and detained in prison. The decision was however overturned by High Court Judge Charles Hungwe who reinstated his bail.

The controversial Attorney General (AG), Johannes Tomana, will prosecute him. The unilateral appointment of Tomana to the AGs job by Mugabe is one of the outstanding issues that the MDC wants resolved before it end a boycott of Zanu (PF) announced more than a week ago.

The MDC accuses Tomana of persecuting its members of parliament on trumped up charges.

I will not quit

Meanwhile Bennett says he will not quit politics to please Mugabe.

Bennett, who has been in and out of jail in what observers have said is part of a concerted effort by Zanu (PF) and its allies running the state justice system to force him to quit the MDC, said he would only consider quitting once democracy is established in Zimbabwe or if the people of Zimbabwe say he should.

It is part of the struggle and standing up for what is right. I have to be annoying someone so much for that persecution to continue. I have to say it must be President Robert Mugabe himself, said Bennett in an interview with the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) weekly newsletter.

He has serious issues with me and has serious racial problems. The fact that I have a constituency and that I have a following annoys him immensely, he would want to discredit me and get me out of the way.

Part of the persecution against me is not against me personally but it is against the MDC because I stand for the party in everything I do. I am happy to step aside the moment the people say I am the problem, said Bennett. I am here for as long as I can serve my country, my people and my party to the best of my ability. I am here until we achieve the aspirations of the people of Zimbabwe.

I have often thought of quitting and it is an easiest thing to do, by the way. But if you have a constituency you have stood in front of and together you have suffered, there is no easy walking away from that constituency, so basically I am here until we return democracy and freedoms to Zimbabwe.

The MDC says part of the reason Zanu (PF) and its allies have targeted Bennett is because he is white.

The former opposition party listed the case of Bennett among outstanding issues that it said it wanted resolved before it can resume cooperation with Zanu (PF).