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Justice delayed is justice denied for MDC Councillors
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
February 16, 2010

The delays for the application for refusal of further remand at the magistrates' courts and the determination for bail pending trial in the High Court for MDC Banket Town councillors, Emmanuel Chinanzvavana and Fani Tembo is of great concern.

The common adage that justice delayed is justice denied is particulary adept in describing the plight of the councillors and their co-accused Givemore Hodzi.

The crippling strike by some civil servants is the machinations of abject poverty to which Zimbabweans have been subjected to by years of mismanagement and misrule on the part of the Zanu PF regime and innocent souls are now suffering as a result.

Business at most courts has now ground to a halt and the two MDC councillors' case is one of the main matters which have been a victim of job action.

The MDC councillors are facing spurious charges that they murdered a Zanu PF special interest councillor, Lancelot Zvironge. But we have no doubt that our councillors are innocent and that their arrest is simply a perpetuation of the persecution strategy employed by the partisan Attorney -General to harass members of the MDC.

We have seen all this before and one needs to be reminded of the Cain Nkala incident where some innocent people were arrested and tortured and convicted by the State media only to be exonerated by the courts but after undergoing painful and harrowing experiences.

Recently, MDC transport manager, Pascal Gwezere was freed by the courts after he had gone through untold suffering for a crime he did not commit. It is high time that these politically motivated arrests come to an end and the sooner that the prosecuting authorities handle cases in a professional and non-partisan way, the better it will be for our country.

For now, we can only lament the continuation of grave injustices against peace loving Zimbabweans and our hearts go to the families of the detained men who have had to do without their loved ones while languishing in jail for several weeks. This is particularly traumatic particularly for the likes of Concilia Chinanzvavana who herself was for a long time an unwilling guest of the State brutality when she was arrested on trumped up charges of plotting to overthrow the previous administration before the inception of inclusive government.

MDC, delivering real change to the people of Zimbabwe, with dignity, security, freedom and democracy, prosperity and hope.

Together to the end, marching to a new Zimbabwe.

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