Ailing student leader Edison Hlatshwayo was once again denied freedom on Monday by a Masvingo court, after the state prosecutor opposed the magistrate's ruling to grant him bail.

Student activists in the country's oldest city, today accused the police and the state of deliberately targeting Hlatshwayo. Student leaders allege that state prosecutor Chauromwa Dehwa, declared even before the trial opened that he would fiercely oppose Hlatshwayo's release from custody to ensure the safety of his job.

Student activist and spokesman of the National Constitutional assembly, Murdock Chivasa, said students overheard Dehwa informing a colleague before the court session that "higher powers" had ordered him to fight against Hlatshwayo's release.

Chivasa said: "We were standing outside the courtroom and unbeknown to Dehwa and his colleague, we were going to attend our friend's case too. He did mention that he was under pressure from his superiors to make sure Edison remains locked up. We are sad that the state went even against the judgment of the magistrate to persuade that he remains behind bars. He had ruled that Edison should be granted a Z$5 million bail. The state opposed bail citing some flimsy section 1.21 of the "Criminal law (codification and reform) Act". We feel he is just being targeted as an example to all student leaders of the extent the Robert Mugabe's regime is prepared to go to frustrate us."

Hlatshwayo, the Great Zimbabwe University Students Executive Council Secretary General, is being charged for malicious injury to property following disturbances that rocked the university early September. He was arrested on 27 September while attending a Youth Forum meeting in Masvingo.

Chivasa himself was remanded out of custody until 20 November by same court on charges he undermined police authority when he allegedly called them "dogs of Mugabe."

Three other students, George Makamure, Brenda Mupfurutsa and Ogylive Makova were also remanded in custody.

After the court hearings police also arrested Joel Dungudza, a part 3 Bsc Social science student at Great Zimbabwe University. It is alleged that he has been arrested in connection with "contempt of court" charges following demonstrations at the court on Monday in solidarity with Edison Hlatshwayo.

Meanwhile authorities at Great Zimbabwe University have summoned ten students to the college disciplinary committee for a hearing tomorrow. They are being accused of assaulting Zimbabwe Congress of Students Union members on campus. This follows disturbances during orientation week when ZINASU and ZICOSU members clashed on campus.