ZIMBABWE – MUTARE – Roy Bennett, a senior official in the Prime Minister’s MDC party, has been ordered back into jail by a Mutare court that ruled he should stand trial on terrorism charges.

 

 

 

“He has been indicted. The natural consequence is he will be in custody until he makes a bail application in the High Court,” state prosecutor Chris Mutangadura said.

 

 

 

Bennett had been nominated to serve as deputy agriculture minister in Zimbabwe’s unity government.

 

But he was arrested the day the Cabinet was sworn in and charged with weapons violations.

 

 

 

Magistrate Lucy Mungwari said Bennett has a case to answer to. The former Chimanimani MP will have to reapply for bail on Monday.

 

Bennett denies the charges against him, which are linked to long-discredited allegations that the MDC plotted President Robert Mugabe’s violent overthrow.

 

Bennett had been free on bail since March.

 

On the issue the MDC said:

 

“The MDC regards today’s indictment and subsequent detention of Treasurer-General and deputy agriculture minister designate Roy Bennett as yet another serious attack on the credibility of the inclusive government.

 

Hon Bennett was arrested exactly eight months ago and instead of kicking off his belated trial this week, Zanu PF has invented yet another technicality to have him detained without trial on trumped-up charges of banditry and terrorism.

 

As a party, we believe that justice delayed is justice denied. It appears there is no haste to put Hon Bennett to his defence, but there is all the hurry to put him behind bars on the day his trial is supposed to kick off.

 

The MDC views this as an act of machination by Zanu PF and its sulking cabal planted in various state institutions aimed at persecuting not prosecution.

 

As a party, we know that Bennett is innocent. The banditry charges are trumped-up and they poison the letter and spirit of the inclusive government and the Global Political Agreement.

 

This latest action is deliberately provocative, unnecessary and motivated by hatred of a personality.

 

The MDC takes this matter as a serious attack on the integrity and honesty of the party; it is not acceptable and will not be taken lightly.

 

We believe in the rule of law not in the rule by law. We believe that human rights are universal and inviolable.

 

Individual freedoms, security and justice are at the epicenter of democracy.”

 

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa called it a serious and unbelievable development which would trigger a “vicious response”.

 

 

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Bennett, a white farmer whose land was seized under Mr Mugabe’s land reform programme, has been an MP since 2000.

 

He was jailed in 2004 after pushing a minister in parliament during a heated debate about land reform.

 

After being accused of links to an alleged plot to kill Zimbabwe’s veteran president in 2006, he fled to South Africa, saying he feared for his life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JOKE OF THE DAY - A man is at work one day when he notices that his co-worker is wearing an earring.

 

This man knows his co-worker to be a normally, conservative fellow, and is curious about his sudden change in “fashion sense.”

 

The man walks up to him and says, “I didn’t know you were into earring.”

 

“Don’t make a big deal, it’s only an earring,” he replies sheepishly.

 

His friend falls silent for a few minutes, but then his curiosity prods him to say, “So, how long have you been wearing one?” “Ever since my wife found it in my truck.”

 

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