Biti, Ncube granted US$500 bail each

Former Finance Minister Tendai Biti and Constitution Defenders Forum (CDF) organiser Morgan Ncube were granted US$500 bail each by a Mutare magistrate's court following their arrest two days ago.

They face charges under the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act for allegedly failing to notify the police about a public meeting they organised.

In addition to bail, the court ordered Biti to surrender his passport and the title deeds to his Chisipite residence in Harare. Both Biti and Ncube were also prohibited from addressing political gatherings and instructed not to interfere with state witnesses.

CDF, a civil society group opposing constitutional amendments that would extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's term and introduce new political, electoral, and governance reforms, condemned the arrests as an attempt to intimidate opposition voices.

Amnesty International Zimbabwe and other human rights organisations described the detentions as "arbitrary and unconstitutional," warning that such actions threaten fundamental freedoms of assembly and expression.

The bail decision allows Biti and Ncube to continue their activism while the legal process unfolds, but it underscores heightened tensions around the contentious constitutional reform debate in Zimbabwe.