Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. By Mary Taruvinga – HIGH Court judge, Tawanda Chitapi has issued an order temporarily stopping the trial of MDC Alliance MP, Joana Mamombe and fellow party activists Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova at the magistrate court.
The three are accused of publishing falsehoods after allegedly faking their abduction by suspected state security agents last year.
The alleged abductions happened soon after the activists had joined fellow party youths in staging an anti-government demonstration in Harare’s Warren Park suburb in breach of Covid-19 regulations.
Their trial had started last week amid claims the activists had been forced to plead against their will.
This prompted them to file the present application which has been upheld pending a hearing which starts this Thursday.
Ruled Chitapi, “The hearing of the urgent application is postponed to May 13 at 2:30pm. The trial of the three applicants is hereby temporarily stayed pending determination of this urgent application.”
In their application, the three are seeking trial recusal by presiding magistrate, Bianca Makwande, and Prosecutor Michael Reza accusing the two court officials of taking their trial personally.
They argued they would never see justice delivered as long as Makwande and Reza continued handling the case.
They said their fears were so strong to the extent the sight of Makwande and Reza made them cringe.
“We protested that we could not properly plead to the charges given our so many misgivings in the matter but Makwande forced us to plead to the changes that had been put to us,” Mamombe, a Harare West MP, said in her founding affidavit.
Mamombe told court that her colleagues were equally apprehensive.
