Reprieve for Mthwakazi youths

Politics
TWO MTHWAKAZI Youth Leaders Joint Resolution (MYLJR) activists, who were arrested by Bulawayo police on Tuesday last week

TWO MTHWAKAZI Youth Leaders Joint Resolution (MYLJR) activists, who were arrested by Bulawayo police on Tuesday last week before being taken to Plumtree Police Station over a case of disorderly behaviour, were on Friday released.

REPORT BY SILAS NKALA.

The two, who are also being charged with causing hatred to persons of a particular race at Makuzeze Primary School, were questioned and released, with the police saying they would summon them to ourt.

Their lawyer Dumisani Dube yesterday confirmed that Mqondisi Moyo and Busani Sibindi, who were taken by Plumtree police after spending two days in police cells at Bulawayo Central, had signed warned and cautioned statements before being released.

“They were advised that they will be summoned to appear in court,” he said. “Police were in a dilemma, as the two had already been detained for more than 48 hours by the Bulawayo police, so they had no option but to release them.”

Law and Order police detectives from Bulawayo Central arrested the two at the Tredgold Magistrate Courts, as they attended another court case in connection with an alleged illegal protest against a Zesa move to employ 300 people from outside Bulawayo at its Insukamini sub station in Emganwini.

This was after Bulawayo police received an instruction from Plumtree police that they should arrest the two.

Dube said they were collected by the Plumtree police on Friday at 12.50pm after the legal 48 hours of detention had lapsed at 11am.

Allegations against Moyo and Sibindi are that sometime in January, they behaved disorderly and caused hatred towards some teachers at Makuzeze Primary School by influencing parents to protest against them and demand their ouster.

More than 90 villagers in Mangwe district reportedly stormed the institution on the day demanding the transfer of the acting head whom they accused of maladministration.

The villagers supported by MYLJR activists, complained of maladministration at the school and unfair transfer of three teachers for allegedly undermining the authority of the acting head Victoria Pasipanodya.

The demonstrators picketed at the school demanding immediate transfer of Pasipanodya, her husband Munyaradzi — a teacher — and deputy headmaster Robson Gotosa. The protest resulted in the teachers being moved from the school.

Matabeleland South Police spokesperson Inspector Philisani Ndebele said he was not yet aware of the arrest of the activists by yesterday.

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