Kudzi Chipanga, a Zanu PF official, went to court yesterday. He was charged with stealing Presidential Pfumvudza inputs worth a lot of money. The inputs belonged to the Department of Agriculture Research and Extension in Makoni District.
The court let Chipanga out on bail, but he has to follow some rules. He must stay at his farm in Headlands and report to the police twice a week. He also can't talk to any witnesses or mess with the investigation.
Chipanga's lawyer, Mr. Chris Ndlovu, argued that Chipanga has the right to be let out on bail. The lawyer said there's no good reason to keep him in jail before his trial.
The prosecutor, Ms. Event Dhliwayo, didn't fight against giving Chipanga bail. She said Chipanga knew he was in trouble since November but didn't run away from the police. He worked with them instead, which shows he plans to show up for his trial.
Ms. Dhliwayo also said the Constitution gives people the right to freedom. It says you can't be kept in jail without a trial or a good reason. Chipanga gave the police an address where they can find him until his case is over.
The prosecutor said the crime happened at a political rally, which Chipanga probably won't do again if he's out on bail. She also said the police still need to talk to a bunch of witnesses, and some might be hard to find. Keeping Chipanga in jail for that long wouldn't be fair.
Here's what supposedly happened: On November 27th, Arex got a bunch of fertilizer, seeds, and other farming stuff from the Grain Marketing Board. It was supposed to be handed out in Ward 38 in Headlands for the Pfumvudza programme.
The supplies were taken by truck to Lawrencedale Primary School for a ZANU PF rally. After the rally, Chipanga and some other guys apparently told an Arex worker named Ms. Noria Gashu that they were going to be the ones to give out the stuff. They claimed they were the ones who got the supplies in the first place.
The court let Chipanga out on bail, but he has to follow some rules. He must stay at his farm in Headlands and report to the police twice a week. He also can't talk to any witnesses or mess with the investigation.
Chipanga's lawyer, Mr. Chris Ndlovu, argued that Chipanga has the right to be let out on bail. The lawyer said there's no good reason to keep him in jail before his trial.
The prosecutor, Ms. Event Dhliwayo, didn't fight against giving Chipanga bail. She said Chipanga knew he was in trouble since November but didn't run away from the police. He worked with them instead, which shows he plans to show up for his trial.
Ms. Dhliwayo also said the Constitution gives people the right to freedom. It says you can't be kept in jail without a trial or a good reason. Chipanga gave the police an address where they can find him until his case is over.
The prosecutor said the crime happened at a political rally, which Chipanga probably won't do again if he's out on bail. She also said the police still need to talk to a bunch of witnesses, and some might be hard to find. Keeping Chipanga in jail for that long wouldn't be fair.
Here's what supposedly happened: On November 27th, Arex got a bunch of fertilizer, seeds, and other farming stuff from the Grain Marketing Board. It was supposed to be handed out in Ward 38 in Headlands for the Pfumvudza programme.
The supplies were taken by truck to Lawrencedale Primary School for a ZANU PF rally. After the rally, Chipanga and some other guys apparently told an Arex worker named Ms. Noria Gashu that they were going to be the ones to give out the stuff. They claimed they were the ones who got the supplies in the first place.
