Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) legislator Tendai Biti has rubbished talks of a political dialogue with Zanu PF to facilitate the release of party MPs Job Sikhala and Godfrey Sithole along with the Nyatsime 16.
Biti was responding to utterances by National Constituency Assembly president Lovemore Madhuku who accused CCC leadership of inflicting punishment on the incarcerated legislators through continued political arrogance.
The CCC deputy leader however, rejected Madhuku’s claims saying his argument lacked logic.
“Lovemore Madhuku’s remarks are shocking and regrettable. They are so outrageous in their defiance of logic,” Biti said.
He however, concurred with Madhuku that Zimbabwean laws were being manipulated by the ruling party Zanu PF to detain opposition members.
“They however, confirm the capture of and weaponization of the law in Zimbabwe A sad indictment of the regime,” Biti said.
CCC spokesperson Fadzai Mahere via her Twitter account weighed in saying the Prosecutor General’s office should remain impartial contrary to what Madhuku had suggested.
“With all due respect, this is intellectually dishonest, Professor Madhuku.
“Section 260 of the Constitution enshrines the independence of the Prosecutor-General. The PG must be impartial & is not subject to the direction or control of anyone, not even Emmerson Mnangagwa. That’s the law,” Mahere said.
Madhuku had earlier on claimed that detained Sikhala and Sithole are victims of their own political party’s decision to refuse to dialogue.
He was commenting on the failure to secure bail by the Nyatsime 16 – all members of the Nelson Chamisa-led CCC – who were arrested in June over political violence in Chitungwiza following the abduction and death of CC activist Moreblessing Ali.
Sikhala and Sithole have been denied bail pending trial on five occasions.
“The issues of Job Sikhala and others could have been resolved by a dialogue process,” said Madhuku.
“The CCC members are now victims of their political party that refuses to dialogue and refuses to be part of POLAD,” Madhuku said.
He urged CCC leader Chamisa to engage President Emmerson Mnangagwa on the matter so the lawmakers and others would be tried early.
“If you make it a political issue, you engage other political players and then the way it is done, we can say publicly the NPA is able to engage in political discussion. You need to persuade the NPA not to oppose bail,” he said. – Newzim
