There appears to be an increasing tendency on the part of the regime to try persons who should properly be regarded as political cases by virtue of their involvement in the liberation struggle, on criminal charges rather than under the Law and Order (Maintenance) Act. This is consistent with recent statements by regime spokesmen that those who oppose the internal settlement agreement should be classified as "criminals". In addition to the death sentences reported on p.2 of this issue, recent political trials include:-
August 1979: Fort Victoria Magistrates Court BENSON CHIKUVADEZE, JACK KWANG-WARI and EMMANUEL KAVUNIKA were each sentenced to 3 years imprisonment for failing to report guerillas. They had allegedly been instructed by guerillas to steal cattle. (RH 3.8.79)
25 September: Gwelo Magistrates Court ABSOLEM SIBANDA was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment (2 suspended) and LUKE MASVANHISE to 6 years (2 suspended) on conviction of harbouring, concealing or assisting a group of guerillas. The guerillas were subsequently involved in a battle with security forces in which two policemen were killed and a third policeman together with a woman were severely injured. The householder of the home in which the shooting took place, VONGWE MUKUMBIRA - whose wife was the woman injured - was acquitted of assisting guerillas. (RH 26.9.79)
8 May: Fort Victoria Magistrates Court The State withdrew its case against Nuanetsi Ranch paymaster ZACHARIAS DE BEER (58) after all the state witnesses had denied knowing anything about the charges. The accused had pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of aiding and assisting guerillas. The court was told that he had reached an agreement with guerillas operating in his neighbourhood that he would not be harmed in return for providing various forms of practical assistance. (DD 9.5.79; see FOCUS 23 p.7.)
20 August: Bulawayo High Court TOLWANI NDHLOVU (50) of Sizinda township, Bulawayo, was acquitted on a charge of recruiting for guerilla training. (RH 21.8.79)
21 September: Harare Magistrates Court FRANCIS TAMBURA was remanded to 5 October in connection with an allegation of murder, alternatively a contravention of the Law and Order (Maintenance) Act, in connection with an explosion in the Sinoia Street area of Salisbury in April 1979. No charges were put and he was not asked to plead. (RH 22.9.79; see also the case of BERNARD NYAKUWA, FOCUS 24, p.11)
12th November: Salisbury High Court OLIVER CHAKARAVANGO, PETER KAZUNGA and BENJAMIN MKOTO (all names phonetic) appeared on charges of attempted murder or alternatively possessing offensive weapons. They were accused of throwing a grenade into an African beerhall, wounding several men, and pleaded not guilty. (BBC 15.11.79)
STOP PRESS: The three men were each sentenced to 9 years imprisonment. (BBC 19.11.79)
