AG seeks to block Gwezere release

HARARE – The Attorney General’s Office has lodged an application in the High Court seeking leave to challenge in the Supreme Court the release on bail of Pasco Gwezere, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) transport manager.

Botswana ignores Zim threats over VOA

Botswana has said it no longer listens to complaints from Zimbabwe over the Voice of America broadcasts relayed through its territory.

South Africa’s Zuma pressures Harare power-sharing partners for results in talks

Washington – Sources in Harare and Pretoria said the three-member South African facilitation team is due back in Harare on Monday to push for agreement on some of the most divisive issues that were set aside to be dealt with last.

Bridging the knowledge gap Part 3 – Diaspora

OPINION: Zimbabwe is the last country on the alphabet but attracts disproportionate global interest and attention.

Political parties not uplifting women: Group

HARARE – A Zimbabwean women’s pressure group has castigated the three political parties in the power-sharing government for failing to promote the participation of women in politics.

Brown says Harare still has to do more

HARARE – British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Thursday said he was looking forward to Harare’s return to the Commonwealth fold following significant progress made by Zimbabwe’s unity government but stressed that there was still considerable ground to be covered.

PM mourns deadly crash MP

JOHN Nyamande, the Makoni Central MP [MDC-T] tragically killed in a car crash in the early hours of last Saturday was eulogised as a “selfless” public servant by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Thursday.

Bennet lawyers accuse judge of bias

 

ROY Bennett’s defence team on Thursday asked the High Court judge in his terrorism case to recuse himself, saying they feared bias.

Bennett’s lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa told reporters the defence team had asked Judge Chinembiri Bhunu during a hearing in his chambers “whether he could hand over to another judge”.

Bhunu said he would give his answer Monday, she said.

The trial had been due to begin hearing evidence on Thursday, after Bhunu on Wednesday dismissed applications from both the prosecution and the defence relating to the credibility of the evidence.

Bennett’s lawyers say the state’s case is based on an unsigned confession from a convicted arms dealer, Peter Hitschmann, that was obtained by torture.

The defence had wanted Hitschmann excluded from testifying. The state had sought to bar the defence from arguing Hitschmann was tortured into making the confession.

Mtetwa said she feared that if Bhunu continued to preside over the trial, “it might be prejudicial to Mr Bennett.”

Bennett, 52, was nominated to be the deputy agriculture minister by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, but President Robert Mugabe has refused to swear him in before his trial ends.

The white farmer who lost his land to Mugabe’s supporters is charged with the possession of weapons for the purposes of banditry, terrorism and insurgency in 2006. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

Mugabe’s critics are regularly accused of plotting to overthrow him.

The MDC says the case is a ploy to keep Bennett out of the country’s nine-month-old unity government.. – dpa

Zimbabwe PM turns to region to rescue unity government

HARARE — Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai headed Monday to neighbouring South Africa with a plea for regional leaders to mediate a stand-off within his country’s unity government.

Zimbabwe Attorney General To Prosecute Bennett

Harare, October 19, 2009 – The prosecution of Deputy Agriculture Minister Designate Roy Bennett took a dramatic twist on Monday after Attorney General (AG) Johannes Tomana took charge of the prosecution of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Treasurer-General.