Johannes Chin’ombe
GWERU – The Midlands Provincial court recently freed Ward 7 councilor Gideon Mugariri and one other, Caroline Jakazi saying they will be called back to court by way of summons after they had been arrested for supposedly inciting public violence.
The two were arrested over the weekend and being charged for inciting violence and malicious damage to property.
Zimbabwe Human Rights Lawyer (ZLHR) Reginald Chidawanyika who secured their release upon arrest confirmed the development and said the courts made the decision to facilitate for further investigation.
“Mugariri and Jakazi will be called back to court by way of summons. The court came to the decision upon noting need for further investigations into the charges they are facing,” Chidawanyika said.
CommuTalk also managed to talk to councilor Mugariri soon after he was released from police cells, pending court appearance on Saturday evening and he said he knew nothing about the accusations.
“They say I burnt tyres and I am also accused of writing anti President Mnangagwa graffiti for which I know nothing about all that. The day they say I did that I was actually at work,” Mugariri said.
Analysts say the crackdown to arrest opposition activists is a desperate bid by the state to scare and silence angry masses that are angry about the deplorable social, economic and political environment of Zimbabwe.
Many opposition leaders have since gone in hiding to evade arbitrary arrests with Gweru’s Amos Chibaya and Kwekwe’s Settlement Chikwinya whereabouts remaining unknown since the day of protests.
