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This article participates on the following special index pages:
ZCTU National Labour Protest - Sept 13, 2006 - Index of articles
Trial
of ZCTU members postponed
The Herald
(Zimbabwe)
October
18, 2006
http://www1.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=10331&cat=1&livedate=10/18/2006
THE trial of
31 members of the Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions who are facing charges of participating
in an illegal demonstration
in Harare was postponed by a Harare magistrate to some day between
October 30 and November 8.
Harare magistrate
Mr William Bhila accepted an application for postponement by the
defence lawyer Mr Alec Muchadehama of Mbidzo Muchadehama and Makoni
and remanded the activists out of custody.
Mr Muchadehama
filed for postponement arguing that the State had not supplied him
with the details pertaining to who said what to who and who was
carrying which placard and what was inscribed on the placard.
He also said
he had not received any response from the State as to which CID
Section and which officials were carrying out the investigations
into the alleged assault by the police.
Mr Muchadehama
told the court that since the State has to prove its allegations
on each and every individual, this information was crucial in his
defence outline.
He asked for
a specific order from the court if the State is reluctant to supply
him with the information he requested for.
The State, led
by prosecutor Mr Tawanda Zvekare, said the accused persons are unnecessarily
delaying the court by making submissions at the 11th hour every
time their trial is about to resume.
Mr Zvekare told
the court that the defence lawyer should have raised such concerns
well before yesterday since they had the State outline to their
disposal.
He further told
the court that if the trial of the accused persons is to be postponed
once again, then they should make sure they avail themselves on
the set date of trial without fail.
Mr Zvekare also
said he was going to give the defence lawyer the names of the officers
from the CID he should see in connection with the matter.
Among the 31
were the ZCTU president Lovemore Matombo, secretary general Wellington
Chibebe and the Progressive
Teachers’ Union leader Raymond Majongwe.
Allegations
arose after the 31 activists allegedly participated in an abortive
illegal demonstration in Harare on September 3 leading to their
arrest by the police.
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