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Ex-lawmaker Amos Chibaya granted bail after languishing in remand prison for 58 days

HARARE

Former
Citizens
Coalition
for
Change
(CCC)
legislator
Amos
Chibaya
has
finally
been
granted
US$500
bail
by
the
High
Court.

In
his
ruling,
Justice
Gibson
Mandaza
ordered
the
former
Mkoba
MP
to
deposit
US$500
with
the
Clerk
of
Court
at
the
Harare
Magistrates’
Court
and
to
report
once
every
fortnight
at
CID
law
and
order
division
in
Harare.

Chibaya
was
also
ordered
to
continue
residing
at
his
usual
residential
address
and
not
to
interfere
with
witnesses.

The
firebrand
politician
is
accused
of
inciting
fellow
CCC
activists
into
committing
violence
as
he
addressed
them
outside
the
Harare
Magistrates’
Court
where
convicted
party
faction
leader
Jameson
Timba
and
dozens
more
had
been
denied
bail
in
June
this
year.


His
party
insists
Chibaya
should
never
have
been
arrested
in
the
first
place
arguing
he
did
not
commit
any
offence
at
all.

“We
won’t
celebrate
persecution
and
suppression
of
freedom
of
association.
He
shouldn’t
have
been
arrested
in
the
first
place.

“Zimbabwe
is
not
yet
free
under
the
current
regime.

“We
continue
to
demand
the
release
of
all
political
prisoners,”
said
CCC
in
a
statement.

Arrested
many
times
for
his
fearless
activism,
Chibaya
was
recently
fined
US$50
for
skipping
court
in
another
criminal
case
he
is
facing.

According
to
the
state,
Chibaya
was
among
a
group
of
CCC
activists
who
staged
demonstrations
at
the
court
building
in
June
demanding
the
release
of
77
party
activists
who
had
been
denied
bail.

It
is
further
alleged
Chibaya
then
convened
a
meeting
at
the
entrance
of
the
court
building
where
party
politicians
Agency
Gumbo
and
Ostallos
Gift
Siziba
were
among
the
speakers.

During
the
meeting,
Chibaya
allegedly
incited
violence
through
saying,
“Chi
regime
chinotya
vanhu,
chikaona
vanhu
chinobvunda,
Havana
kuhwina
maelections,
togona
kufuma
tavakutonga,
Zimbabwe
haisi
yeZanu
PF,
Zimbabwe
is
not
a
Mnangagwa
Dynasty
zvekumbunyikidza
vanhu
zvinofanira
kupera.”

Loosely
translated,
Chibaya
allegedly
talked
down
the
Zanu
PF
led
government
headed
by
President
Mnangagwa
whom
he
accused
of
stealing
elections
and
that
it
could
find
itself
out
of
power
the
next
day
in
place
of
the
main
opposition.
He
allegedly
declared
it
was
time
the
state
stopped
trampling
on
citizens’
freedoms.

It
is
further
alleged
Chibaya
invited
citizens
to
come
in
large
numbers
to
demand
the
release
of
their
colleagues.

“As
a
result
of
the
incitement,
some
people
at
the
meeting
promised
Chibaya
to
take
the
prisoners
out
by
force
by
saying
in
vernacular
‘tichavatora
Nechisimba,
eheeee’”.