Female CCC Members Fondled In Prison Vehicle - Lawyers
Lawyers representing 25 members of the opposition CCC who were arrested last week in Harare’s Budiriro suburb said their female clients were molested en route to the Harare magistrates court.
The lawyers accused the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) wardens of transporting female prisoners in the same van with male prisoners who are not CCC members, which resulted in the females being fondled along the way.
The lawyers, Wilbert Mandinde, Kudzai Kadzere and Chris Mhike also alleged that one of the accused persons contracted coronavirus while in prison and has been isolated for 10 days.
Harare magistrate Yeukai Dzuda ordered the State to investigate the abuse and bring the report to court by Friday.
The CCC members were arrested for allegedly holding a political gathering in Harare without police clearance.
Allegations are that on 14 January 2023, the accused persons responded to an invitation for a meeting at Budiriro MP Costa Machingauta’s house.
Prosecutors submitted that ZRP Budiriro received a tip-off that the accused were gathered illegally and went to investigate.
Upon arrival at the scene of the crime, the police observed that the accused’s conduct was disturbing the peace of a section of members of the public.
The police ordered the accused persons to disperse, but they resisted leading to their arrest. The accused had no lawful excuse to act in the manner they did.
| NewsDay
