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MDC Alliance youth leaders Joana Mamombe & Cecilia Chimbiri will spend another night at Chikurubi Prison after the Court postponed their bail ruling to Thursday at 9am.
Joana Mamombe (28) and Cecilia Chimbiri (32) were arrested on Monday in Harare’s central building district while coming from their routine medical checks in company of Netai.
The two are being charged with undermining police authority as defined in section 177(b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act alternatively with hindering or obstructing a police officer to perform duties during a national lockdown as defined in section 11 of Statutory Instrument 83 of 2020 , a charge they deny.
sources state that as they got into town to buy food from their medical routines, they encountered a police Van at Cnr Samora and 2nd street. One of the police officers who was driving identified hon Mamombe and greeted her by name.
However, one at the back asked Netsai why she was wearing a #FreeAlanMoyo mask? The officer then ordered Mamombe to park the car and she questioned the motive forcing them to call for a back up to stop their car.
Joana stopped in fear, officers stormed the car asking us to show them placards and masks. We were all surprised by the conduct of the officers as they shouted at us to open doors so that they search for placards.
They tried to pull Cecilia out of the car as she was wearing red hat and shirt blouse and said she was leading the demo. We all refused and challenged the officers of this harassment. They then ordered 2 female officers to get in our car as we drove to central police station.
The officers also tried to arrest Netsai but dropped charges against her after noticing that she was not looking healthy from the hospital, and she allegedly had not uttered a word during the altercation.
Prosecutor Audrey Chogumaira told Harare Magistrate Stanford Mambanje that Mamombe and Chimbiri, who are represented by Charles Kwaramba of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, undermined police authority by shouting and criticizing law enforcement agents who were ferrying some police officers together with accused persons, who had
been arrested for yet to be established charges.
Chogumaira alleged that Mamombe and Chimbiri allegedly questioned the wisdom of the police officers in arresting people and putting them in a truck without observing safe distancing at a time when there is a risk of contracting coronavirus.
The prosecutor said the conduct of the legislator and the MDC-Alliance party youth leader had the effect of engendering feelings of hostility towards police officers and exposing them to contempt and ridicule.
On Tuesday 2 February 2021, Mamombe and Chimbiri presented several complaints before Magistrate Mambanje against ZRP members, whom they accused of violating several of their fundamental rights including not being immediately informed of the reasons of their arrest and the charges as provided in the Constitution.
Magistrate Mambanje ordered the state to investigate the complaints and present a report to the court.
The two, through their lawyer were set to file an application seeking their release on bail on Wednesday but alas their freedom application was postponed to Thursday morning.
Commenting on the move to delay two’s constitutional right to freedom, the MDC Alliance spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said:
Joana & Cecilia will spend another night at Chikurubi Prison after the Court postponed their bail ruling to Thursday at 9am. There is everything wrong with a system that weaponizes the law to criminalise dissent & restrict liberty.
— Fadzayi Mahere (@advocatemahere) February 3, 2021
We need new leaders.🇿🇼#FreeJoana#FreeCecilia pic.twitter.com/hyzg5VzYpU
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