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Tendai Rupapa, Harare Bureau
Five members of shadowy anti-Government organisations who allegedly received training in the Maldives with intent to roll out violent demonstrations in the country, yesterday appeared in court facing allegations of subverting a constitutionally elected Government.
The gang included four men — Tatenda Mombeyarara (37) attached to the International Socialist Organisation, Centre for Community Development in Zimbabwe advocacy officer George Makoni (39), Nyasha Frank Mpahlo (35) of Green Governance Zimbabwe, Gamuchirai Mukura (31) of Community Tolerance Reconciliation and Development (COTRAD) – and a woman, Farirai Gumbonzvanda, a volunteer at Rosaria Memorial Trust.
According to the State, their alleged accomplices are still at large.
They appeared before magistrate Mr Hoseah Mujaya, who remanded them in custody to today for continuation of their application in which they are challenging their placement on remand on the basis that there is no reasonable suspicion.
Lawyers, Messrs Godfrey Mupanga and Jeremiah Bhamu together with Ms Jessie Majome are representing the accused persons while Mr Charles Muchemwa, Mr George Manokore and Ms Francesca Mukumbiri are appearing for the State.
According to the State, on May 13 the accused persons who are members of various civic society organisations connived with their accomplices who are still at large and travelled to the Maldives where they underwent a training workshop organised by a Serbian Non-governmental Organisation called Centre for Applied Non-violent Action and Strategies (CANVAS) with intent to subvert a constitutionally elected government.
They were arrested upon arrival at Robert Mugabe International Airport upon their return from the Maldives.
Their laptops and cellphones which contained the subversive materials were recovered and were sent to Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) for extraction of evidence.
Also, some notes from the workshop were recovered.
Online Reporter