Ex-CiZC boss summoned to court 5 years after committing alleged crime

Former Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) chairperson Rashid Mahiya has been summoned to appear in court for plotting to unseat President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government in 2018.

Mahiya is currently Heal Zimbabwe Trust (HZT) director.

According to the summons dated March 7, 2023, Mahiya is alleged to have convened a meeting for members of HZT and CiZC, where he incited them to “engage” in civil disobedience.

“You are hereby required and directed that Rashid Stuart Mahiya appears before the court of the magistrate on March 29, 2023 to answer and abide the judgment of the court arising from the following,” the summons read.

“In that during the period extending from December 3, 2018 to December 6, 2018 and at Wild Geese conference centre, Pomona, Harare, Rashid Stuart Mahiya, unlawfully and with intent to overthrow the Government of Zimbabwe, organised or set up, or advocated, urged or suggested the organisation or setting up of a meeting with intention to overthrow government of Zimbabwe by unconstitutional means or usurping the functions of the government or coerce the workers to engage in acts of boycott, civil disobedience or passive resistance to law, realising that there was a real risk or possibility that their actions might subvert a constitutional government of Zimbabwe.”

Newsday reports that both Mahiya and his lawyers were not reachable for comment yesterday.

CiCZ spokesperson Obert Masaraure told the publication that the charges were trumped-up and meant to silence human rights defenders ahead of elections.

“The State continues to manufacture frivolous charges against human rights defenders,” Masaraure said.