Ngadziore freed on Z$5,000 bail, judge reinforces that bail is a right

HARARE – The High Court on Friday ordered the release on bail of Takudzwa Ngadziore, the president of the Zimbabwe National Students Union held since September 18 for allegedly participating in an illegal gathering with intent to commit public violence.

Justice Davison Foroma freed the 22-year-old Great Zimbabwe University student on Z$5,000 bail, quashing a refusal of bail by Harare magistrate Judith Taruvinga.

Taruvinga had ruled that Ngadziore was likely to commit a similar offence considering that he was arrested a few days earlier on similar charges.

But Justice Foroma said stringent conditions would allay the state’s fears.

“The court said the law allows individuals to be tried from home and that bail is a right enshrined in the Constitution. He was granted bail on stringent conditions including that he deposits $5 000 bail,” his lawyer Webster Jiti said.

The student was also prohibited from participating in any public gathering. He should also not go within 500 meters of Impala Car Rental, surrender his passport and report once every Friday to a police station.

Ngadziore was first arrested on September 8 after leading a student protest outside the offices of Impala Car Rental company whose vehicle was used in the July 30 abduction and torture of student Tawanda Muchehiwa, a nephew of ZimLive editor Mduduzi Mathuthu.

He was released on bail by a Harare magistrate, with a condition that he must not go within 100 meters of Impala Car Rental’s offices.

On September 18, the student leader called a news conference down the road from Impala – he said the distance was 101 meters.

He was attacked by unidentified men in an assault captured on live video before police picked him up and charged him with participating in an illegal gathering with intent to commit public violence.

Nine students were arrested outside court during Ngadziore’s first appearance, accused of public order offences.

Here is what Ngadziore said as he stepped out of Chikurubi Maximum Prison:

“Tawanda Muchehiwa was not and was never abducted. He’s just but a mirror incident of a victim, but the victim at large is not the students at the Midlands State University but the students within and around all continents, around the globe.

What was abducted is not Tawanda Muchehiwa, what was abducted is all the mothers across the globe, across the continent because he is born of a mother, of a woman.

What was abducted is not Tawanda Muchehiwa but the labour movement because his father is a worker, is a member of the proletariat.

What was abducted is a religion, because there is no religion without a worshiper and himself is a worshipper.

There was a prison inside of me before I was in prison. If they fail to respect our existence, then they should be assured of our resistance.

They should know, the regime should know… the kakistocracy of Mnangagwa, the jailocracy of Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa should know that the barometers of class consciousness stand resolved, staunchly, that justice for Tawanda Muchehiwa should be served.

Impala Car Rental should be informed and should know that it should release information of those who abducted Tawanda Muchehiwa. There are several abduction cases that are known in Zimbabwe. We have an abduction case of Itai Dzamara, where’s Itai Dzamara right now? Impala might have to answer this question if it fails to provide information about those who abducted Tawanda Muchehiwa.

We will never kneel down to the tyranny of kakistocracy. We stand resolved. And we stand staunchly on the position that we have.”