Chamisa activist tastes freedom after 9 months

THE High Court yesterday granted bail to MDC Alliance activist Makomborero Haruziviishe who was jailed early this year for staging an illegal demonstration last year. Justice Webster Chinamhora granted Haruzivishe $10 000 bail. He was found guilty in April and sentenced to 14 months in prison on charges of inciting violence, and resisting lawful arrest.

Makomborero has been arrested several times for challenging human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.

 In 2016 he was arrested together with former University of Zimbabwe student Nigel Shumba for initiating demonstrations at the school campus.

Shumba who has pending investigations escaped Zimbabwe to enrolled with Poland University of ecology and management in 2017 after he was issued with a warrant of arrest by the Harare magistrate court.

But rights groups said the real aim was to intimidate protesters and activists. MDC Alliance provincial youth secretary Denford Ngadziore told NewsDay that Haruziviishe was never supposed to be jailed in the first place.

"We are happy Makomborero is out, but he was not supposed to be arrested in the beginning we pray that Nigel Shumba can also come back home and finish his studies.

This was a staged move to silence the activists," Ngadziore said in an interview.Harare West MP Joanah Mamombe tweeted yesterday that they could not wait to welcome Haruziviishe. The activist was represented by Lovemore Madhuku and Simon Chabuka.

The State said the youth activist blew a whistle to incite opposition protesters to pounce on police during a protest in February 2020.His arrest, after months on the run, followed an accusation that he incited violence in a protest demanding government to provide more support to poor Zimbabweans.