The Nelson Chamisa-led main opposition MDC Alliance has expressed ‘total anger and utter disappointment’ after the treason case of its Secretary General, Charlton Hwende, was postponed for the umpteenth time, to Monday next week.
Hwende has been on remand since 6 March last year and his lawyer Harrison Nkomo’s application for the outspoken parliamentarian to be removed from remand failed to pay dividends at Chitungwiza Magistrates’ Court Friday Morning.
The Kuwadzana East legislator has, for close to a year now, been on remand after he allegedly posted messages on his Twitter handle inciting Zimbabweans into revolting against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Government. Posts on his Twitter handle between December 28-31 2018, the state argues, encouraged people to engage in mass protests and hooliganism.
Allegations are that between December 28, and 31, 2018, Hwende allegedly posted on his Twitter handle messages aimed at inciting people into revolting against the government.
Hwende’s posts were succeeded by mass protests and demonstrations in January last year and opposition members exhorted to the outspoken MP’s posts by participating in the violent protests, alleges state prosecutors.
The party continues to demand for the treason case to be placed off remand.
“But typical of the state under this illegitimate regime, the Prosecutor opposed the application and sought a postponement in circumstances which amount to harrasment and political persecution”, said MDC Alliance spokesperson Daniel Molokeli in a statement.
Added Molokeli:
“It is now almost a year since Honourable Hwende was arrested and the State has reneged on previous undertakings to Indict the Accused to the High Court each time proffering different excuses. Today, the State outrageously claimed that they now needed more time to enable them to go to Northern Ireland where Twitter is domiciled to establish whether the Twitter handle in question belongs to Honourable Hwende”.
Zwnews
