Six men, including a former Zimbabwe army officer charged with allegedly plotting a coup against President Robert Mugabe, will appear in the High Court next Friday on treason charges, their lawyer said on Saturday.
The six — Albert Mugove Mutapo (40), a retired soldier, Nyasha Zivuka (32), Oncemore Mudzuradhona (41), Emmanuel Marara (40), Patson Mupfure (46) and Shingirai Matemachani (20) — were late on Friday refused bail at the request of state prosecutors by the High Court, Jonathan Samkange said.
The suspects pleaded not guilty when they were charged in a Harare magistrate’s court last week, he said.
The state prosecution charged that between June last year and May this year, the six conspired to overthrow Mugabe’s government. The defendants allegedly wanted to replace Mugabe with Minister of Rural Housing and Amenities Emmerson Mnangagwa, according to court papers Samkange read to Agence France-Presse.
Mutapo is alleged to have conspired with the co-accused and recruited members of the security forces from the army, air force and police in preparation for the coup, the lawyer said.
The prosecution also said that Mutapo wanted the soldiers to take over control of Zimbabwe, after which he would invite Mnangagwa and service chiefs to form a government. It further alleged that the government would be headed by Mnangagwa with Mutapo as prime minister, the lawyer added.
Samkange said that his clients were not planning a coup as alleged, but were meeting to form a political party. ”Their discussions with prospective members were not for criminal purposes, but for recruiting potential supporters,” he said. ”The accused [Mutapo] was going to be the party’s president.”
Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu declined to comment on the matter on the grounds that it was before a court. ”If I comment on the issue, I might be viewed as influencing the decision of the court,” he said.
In Zimbabwe, treason attracts the death penalty on conviction. — Sapa-AFP