Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. By Thandiwe Garusa – RECENTLY freed MDC activist Last Maengahama has said every Zimbabwean is a potential prisoner considering the country’s security services and judiciary were captured state institutions.
He was speaking at a press conference convened by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) in Harare, Monday following his Friday Supreme Court acquittal on a 2011 gang murder on police Inspector Petros Mutedza 2011.
Together with Tungamirai Madzokere, another MDC activist, Maengahama had spent nearly a decade in prison.
Maengahama poured his heart out on his incarceration, saying what hurt him the most was that he was made to endure jail time for a crime he did not commit.
“We could have been killed for a crime we knew nothing about because of the system we have,” he said.
“Our police, prosecutors, judges, and everyone involved in delivering justice must be professional. They are there to serve the interests of the country not the interests of individuals or political parties.”
Maengahama said his concerns were important in that if left to their own devices, law enforcement agents could inflict the same harm on any innocent citizen.
“This is not an issue between us, me and our lawyers, it is an issue for Zimbabweans. I would not want to see any other Zimbabwean suffer the way I suffered.
“Every Zimbabwean is a potential victim to this, you may think today is about us but tomorrow you can be in the same situation,” he said.
He added, “It has been a disappointing experience, our justice delivery system leaves a lot to be desired. The arresting officers to the end, we have political activists who are masquerading as judicial officers.”
