Lawyers for a group of men arrested after the discovery of an arms cache in Zimbabwe’s eastern city of Mutare were on Thursday still waiting for access to their clients, one of the lawyers said.
”We’re still waiting to get access to the accused,” said Tafadzwa Mugabe. Mugabe and his team travelled to Mutare from Harare on Wednesday following news of the arrests.
The lawyer said it was not immediately clear how many people had been arrested.
”We can’t really say who’s there and who’s not,” he said.
The state-controlled Herald newspaper reported on Thursday that a total of 10 men had been arrested, including former opposition legislator Roy Bennett. But state radio says only six have been arrested.
Bennett’s wife, Heather, said that as of Thursday morning her husband had not been arrested.
”He hasn’t been arrested,” Heather Bennett said in a telephone interview. ”He’s in a meeting with his lawyers.”
Those known to be in custody are Michael Peter Hitschmann, at whose home in Mutare’s Tiger Kloof suburb the arms were found; Brian James, a local treasurer for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC); Thando Sibanda, an MDC activist; and Knowledge Nyamhuka, the MDC provincial youth chairperson.
MDC legislator Giles Mutsekwa was also arrested on Wednesday in Harare and has been transferred to Mutare, reports said. More arrests appear likely.
A police spokesperson said the men were linked to a shadowy group called the Zimbabwe Freedom Movement, which he alleged was the military wing of the MDC.
”Their objectives, among others, are: to institute regime change in Zimbabwe and to reverse the land-reform programme gains; to create a conducive environment for alleged democratic processes for Zimbabwe; and to identify and eliminate high-profile targets of the state,” spokesperson Ronald Muderedzwa told state radio.
But an opposition spokesperson, Nelson Chamisa, has denied the party has any links to a person or group wanting to bring about change in Zimbabwe ”through the barrel of the gun”. — Sapa-DPA