High Court judge, Justice Webster Chinamora has ended the eight day detention of MDC Alliance duo of Joana Mamombe and Cecelia Chimbiri after setting aside Harare Magistrate Stanley Mambanje’s ruling denying them bail.
Justice Chinamora ordered Mamombe and Chimbiri to deposit RTGS$10 000 bail each and report at Harare Central Police station once a fortnight.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) confirmed the latest developments through their twitter handle saying the two will pay bail and report to the police once in a fortnight.
“Justice Chinamora ends 8-day detention of Hon. Mamombe & Chimbiri by setting aside Magistrate Mambanje’s ruling denying them bail. Justice Chinamora orders the duo to pay RTGS$10 000 bail each and report at @PoliceZimbabwe once a fortnight,” ZLHR confirmed.
The National Prosecuting Authority had opposed the admission of bail insisting that Magistrate Mambanje did not misdirect himself when he denied the two bail.
Mamombe and Chimbiri who were represented by Charles Kwaramba and Jeremiah Bamu from ZLHR argued that Magistrate Mambanje erred and misdirected himself when he denied them bail last week.
Kwaramba told Justice Chinamora that if granted bail, his clients will be available to stand trial and said they had no propensity to commit offences as stated by Magistrate Mambanje last week.
He told Justice Chinamora the two ought to be released from prison on bail so as to assist in decongesting prisons and to also allow the duo to be treated by doctors as they were arrested just after consulting their doctor.
Mamombe and Chimbiri are accused of undermining the authority of the police after a traffic light incident where they allegedly shouted at police officers who had arrested protesters asking them to release them before they infect them with Covid-19.
