Mnangagwa's regime is demonic, says Mzembi

Former cabinet minister Walter Mzembi has condemned the imprisonment of Ordinary Level student Nicole Chabata as "demonic" following her release from a 90-day remand prison. Chabata was arrested on June 16 alongside 76 Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) supporters, who are accused of planning protests during the August SADC Heads of State Summit.

Despite public appeals for her release to prepare for her ZIMSEC Ordinary Level examinations, Harare magistrate Collet Ncube denied Chabata bail twice. Her detention resulted in her missing half of the second school term. She was finally granted bail of US$50 and ordered to report monthly to the Epworth Police Station and refrain from interfering with witnesses.

In a statement made shortly after Chabata's release, Mzembi, who fled Zimbabwe following the 2017 coup that ousted Robert Mugabe, criticized the treatment of minors under President Emmerson Mnangagwa's regime. He contrasted the current situation with how minors were handled under Rhodesian authorities, emphasizing that children were usually given probation or community service rather than imprisonment.

Mzembi, who along with other Mugabe-era figures such as Patrick Zhuwawo, Jonathan Moyo, and Saviour Kasukuwere, has frequently criticized Mnangagwa's governance, underscored the severity of Chabata's detention as a violation of humane treatment.