Thursday 11 September 2008

MDC Mps out on bail

Six MDC MPs who were arrested during the opening of Parliament lastmonth were granted bail on Wednesday but the state is still detaining two ofthem after it appealed against the ruling.MPs Bednock Nyaude, Bindura South, Shua Mudiwa, Mutare West,Mathias Mlambo, Chipinge East, Pearson Mungofa, HighfieldEast, Eliah Jembere, Epworth and Trevor Saruwaka, MutasaCentral were arrested during the official opening of the 7th parliament.

Nyaude and Mungofa are still in remand prison after thestate appealed against the MPs being granted bail.
The MDC lawyers have since applied to the High Court to have the MPs released.The other four legislators have since been released on bail.
MDC says the arrest of the six legislators on trumped up charges of incitingpolitical violence is meant to frustrate the people's projectfollowing its victory in Parliament in the 29 March harmonisedelections.

"The MDC views this continued harassment and arrest of MDC legislatorsby the state security agents as a direct affront to the will of thepeople of Zimbabwe who voted for change on March 29," a statement said.

Meanwhile MDC says it has uncovered a plot being spearheaded by ZanuPF and Tsholotsho MP, Jonathan Moyo, to contest the election of MDCs' party nationalchairman, Lovemore Moyo, as the Speaker of Parliament.Moyo garnered 110 votes against former MP Paul Themba Nyathi whoreceived 98 votes.MDC says two weeks after the election Zanu PF and Jonathan Moyo who were backing Nyathi want to reverse the speaker's appointment claiming that the voting process was not transparent.