Jailed ‘O’ Level student Nicole Chabata appears before High Court judge

Today, Nicole Chabata, an O-Level student imprisoned since June 16, will stand before a High Court judge at Harare Magistrate Courts for bail ruling.

Alongside Senator Jameson Timba, teacher Hondongwa, Langton Mwanaka —a journalist and over 60 other activists, Nicole was initially denied bail by the Magistrate court and found not guilty on one of the charges but continue to be held in prison without full trial.

Analysts say Nicole, a young girl on the cusp of her future, should have been preparing for her crucial exams next month. Instead, she’s been robbed of her education, missing the end of her previous term and now starting this one from behind bars.

A brutal reminder that in Zimbabwe, even the innocent pay the price of repression.

Chabata was arrested alongside Opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) 77 activists and has been in remand for close to 3 months now. She is due to sit for her Ordinary Level examinations in a few weeks and missed over a month of schooling during the second term following her arrest.

The High Court recently acquitted the 78 opposition activists for disorderly conduct and 66 remain in jail awaiting trial for unlawful gathering.

Zwnews