On three occasions, the trial failed to take off because the complainant, Chief Samuel Samambwa of Zhombe, did not turn up. The two legislators and six MDC supporters languished in remand prison for more than a month.
Twice magistrate Tendai Mahwe had to postpone the trial after having heard that the chief had failed to catch the only bus that plies the Zhombe-Kwekwe route.
On the third occasion the chief sent a message that he should be excused because he was looking for a missing person. In the other three instances, the state failed to put together a set of equipment including a DVD to show a video of the alleged crime.
The MPs and their supporters are accused of having threatened the chief with unspecified action because he had forced his people to join Zanu (PF) and confiscated MDC-T cards and regalia in the area.
Reginald Chidawanyika of Chitere and Chidawanyika Legal Practitioners, who is representing the accused, says the trial should simply take off so that it can be seen if a crime was committed after all. August 3 has been set as the day the trial should finally begin. The accused were arrested on February 8 and eventually granted $100 bail each by High Court Judge Justice Samuel Kudya on March 21.
Post published in: Zimbabwe News