News / National
Mugabe protesting pastor's case postponed
06 Jan 2016 at 07:19hrs | Views
THE trial of Zimbabwean clergyman Pastor Patrick Phillip Mugadza for allegedly protesting against President Robert Mugabe's 35 year-old rule suffered a false start on Tuesday after Victoria False Magistrate Lindiwe Maphosa postponed the case to 1 February.
The state was no ready to prosecute, hence the postponement.
This was after State prosecutors told Magistrate Maphosa that police officers had not notified witnesses in the matter to attend the court session as had been advised last month.
The State has lined up between four to five witnesses to testify against Mugadza who languished in prison for more than two weeks following his arrest last month on charges of protesting against Mugabe's 35 year-old reign.
Mugadza was only released from prison on New Year's Eve after Maphosa revised the bail money to $50 from $500, which she had initially set on Tuesday 15 December 2015, when she granted the clergyman bail.
That was after Mugadza's lawyer Thulani Nkala of Dube and Company Legal Practitioners and a member of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, petitioned the Victoria Falls Magistrates Court on Tuesday 29 December 2015 seeking an order for variation of bail conditions so as to allow the clergyman to pay $50 bail since he had struggled without success for more than two weeks to secure his freedom by paying the set $500.
The state was no ready to prosecute, hence the postponement.
This was after State prosecutors told Magistrate Maphosa that police officers had not notified witnesses in the matter to attend the court session as had been advised last month.
Mugadza was only released from prison on New Year's Eve after Maphosa revised the bail money to $50 from $500, which she had initially set on Tuesday 15 December 2015, when she granted the clergyman bail.
That was after Mugadza's lawyer Thulani Nkala of Dube and Company Legal Practitioners and a member of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, petitioned the Victoria Falls Magistrates Court on Tuesday 29 December 2015 seeking an order for variation of bail conditions so as to allow the clergyman to pay $50 bail since he had struggled without success for more than two weeks to secure his freedom by paying the set $500.
Source - Byo24News
