Back to Index

CHRA employees face kidnapping charges
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
September 06, 2006

Harare- Three staff of the Combined Harare Residents’ Association (CHRA) today appeared before a Harare magistrate facing charges of allegedly kidnapping a municipal employee Ronald Fundira who wanted to disconnect water at a Belvedere House.

The incident occurred sometime in on 8 June 2006. Unlawful and intentional prejudice to the freedoms of movement.

Their lawyer Tafadzwa Mugabe of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) is arguing that the alleged kidnapping never took place.

The three are Jabusile Shumba, the Advocacy and Training Officer, David Charamba, the Finance Officer and Naomi Kazingizi, the Administrative Assistant.

The trio denies the charges.

In his defence under cross examination, Shumba argued that the City of Harare employee had committed an offence by maliciously damaging a water meter without cause. Water subsequently gushed out for days without anyone attending to it.

He also argued that the Commission running the city of Harare was illegal and therefore all its decisions are illegal including the directive to terminate water supplies to the said house in Belvedere.

The City of Harare employee also failed to produce his identity when confronted by the CHRA staff, which had been called to intervene. They told him that he was not going to leave the premises before they had an explanation for his actions.

Water disconnections have been ruled illegal.

The trial continues tomorrow with Charamba expected to defend himself.

Visit the CHRA fact sheet

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP