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| Africa Subsaharan |
| ZimBob police search for MDC bases in S. Africa |
| 2007-05-20 |
| The Zimbabwean government has dispatched 16 police officers to South Africa to search and locate places where opposition party youths were allegedly trained to carry out terrorist activities, the High Court heard yesterday. Tawanda Zvakare and a Mr Makwikwi from the Attorney General’s office told High Court Judge Yunus Omerjee during a bail hearing for 18 Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) activists that the state could not proceed with the case as its officers were still in South Africa investigating the case. The state says the MDC activists received terrorist training in South Africa and were behind a spate of petrol bomb attacks on state institutions last March. The MDC activists, who include journalist Luke Tamborinyoka, former First Mutual Life Assurance chairman Ian Makone and Glen View legislator Paul Madzore have been in remand prison since March. They are denying the charge. The South African government last month rejected charges that there were any military bases for the training of MDC insurgents in the country. “One has to understand that the case is extra-territorial and we have to engage the South African government at times - hence the delay in finishing investigations by the state," said Makwikwi, “The team that has gone to South Africa will complete their investigations in a week after which we can set the trial date.” Judge Omerjee gave the state until 1 June to present its case against the MDC activists. Charles Kwaramba, for the defence, however complained to the judge that the state was dragging its feet in wrapping up its investigations in the case. The case has been postponed three times with the state saying it was still to finish its investigations. |
| Posted by:Pappy |