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CHRA employees cleared of kidnapping charges
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
September 20, 2006

Harare - A Harare magistrate today acquitted three employees of the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA), an outspoken residents’ pressure group fighting for the rights of the capital’s residents who faced charges of allegedly kidnapping an employee of the City of Harare who had gone to disconnect water at a house in Belvedere.

The three employees, David Charamba, the organization’s Finance Officer, Naomi Kazingizi, CHRA’s office assistant and Jabusile Madyazvimbishi Shumba, the association’s Advocacy and Training Officer.

Allegations against the three CHRA employees were that on 8 June 2006 and at a place in Belvedere, they allegedly kidnapped Ronald Pfundirwa, a municipal employee who had come to disconnect water from a Belvedere house.

They accused Pfundirwa of wrongfully and unlawfully damaged both council and private property, being a water meter and ancillary piping during the course and scope of carrying out his duties.

Delivering her judgment, Harare magistrate Chipo Matibiri said the state had dismally failed to convince the court that there was a case against the CHRA employees.

In his comment immediately after the court ruling, Farai Barnabas Mangodza, CHRA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) said: "While the judgment came as no surprise, it is a clear indication that forces bent on denying residents their legitimacy of expression have once again been humiliated. Long lives residents’ power! Long live CHRA!"

Lawyer Tafadzwa Mugabe, of the Zimbabwe Lawyers’ for Human Rights (ZLHR) said although the City of Harare had tried to divert attention from itself by implicating CHRA officials in a non-existent kidnapping case ‘we had right on our side’ and the magistrate made a profound ruling.

The trio had been on $5 000 bail each.

In his closing submissions before the court, Mugabe said the alleged kidnapping in the present circumstances were of a trivial nature as to warrant prosecution or even conviction.

He said the accused employees were actually surprised that they were arrested and subsequently charged for allegedly kidnapping Ronald Pfundirwa of the City of Harare yet they were the initial complainants.

CHRA has constantly reminded the municipality that water disconnections are illegal and residents must not be intimidated by ignorant municipal officials who attempt to disconnect their water in the guise of carrying out their duties.

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