Biti granted $500 bail under strict orders
Constitution Defenders Forum (CDF) convener Tendai Biti and activist Morgan Ncube were granted US$500 bail each by a Mutare magistrate on Monday, with stringent conditions barring them from convening public meetings without police clearance. Biti and Ncube, CDF’s national programmes director, were arrested on March while holding a meeting in Mutare to discuss Constitutional Amendment […] The post Biti granted $500 bail under strict orders appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com.
Black News 
Constitution Defenders Forum (CDF) convener Tendai Biti and activist Morgan Ncube were granted US$500 bail each by a Mutare magistrate on Monday, with stringent conditions barring them from convening public meetings without police clearance.
Biti and Ncube, CDF’s national programmes director, were arrested on March while holding a meeting in Mutare to discuss Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3.
The pair face charges of contravening Section 7(5) of the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act for allegedly failing to notify authorities of their intention to hold a public gathering.
“Bail granted, each to deposit $500 with the clerk of court, to continue residing at given address, to report fortnightly at ZRP Borrowdale and Beitbridge, not to convene a gathering without seeking authority from regulatory authority,” said Chris Ndlovu, their lawyer.
Prosecutors opposed bail, arguing the two were flight risks, could interfere with witnesses and were likely to commit similar offences, citing past convictions and pending cases.
According to court papers, the accused convened a meeting at a known political venue in Mutare attended by about 30 people, including a journalist, without clearance from the regulating authority. Attendees reportedly wore T-shirts with slogans such as “#Our Constitution Our Fight” and “Hands Off Our Constitution”.
The arrests come amid mounting tensions over Constitutional Amendment No. 3 which among other changes proposes extension of the presidential and parliamentary term to seven years and shift of the presidential election from the public vote to parliament.
Critics say the changes could effectively allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in power beyond the current two-term constitutional limit ending in 2028.
The proposals have been met with strong resistance from opposition groups, activists and civil society organisations, who argue the reforms undermine democratic principles and should be subjected to a national referendum.
The post Biti granted $500 bail under strict orders appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com.
