MDC Alliance Activists' Conviction Overturned By High Court
Three MDC Alliance activists’ convictions on political violence charges were overturned on Tuesday by the Bulawayo High Court.
Solani Moyo (51), who was a 2018 parliamentary candidate for MDC Alliance in one of the Plumtree constituencies, Madodana Mtimeni (41) and Innocent Ncube (37) were convicted by the now late Plumtree magistrate Sharon Roseman after they clashed with Zanu PF activists during a campaign roadshow.
Roseman ordered them to pay $500 fine with an option of 90 days in jail.
The trio then filed an appeal at the Bulawayo High Court challenging their conviction through their lawyer Prince Butshe Dube.
On Tuesday, Justice Martin Makonese sitting with Justice Evangelista Kabasa granted their appeal and set aside the conviction. In his ruling Justice Makonese said:
This court finds that the conviction was wrong. What is in this court is evidence on one political party. The accused were doing a lawful activity — a roadshow as sanctioned, while the other political party was doing an unlawful activity without the authority of the regulatory authority.
Therefore, the appeal is granted and the conviction is set aside.
