FOUR University of Zimbabwe students, who were arrested for protesting the continued pretrial incarceration of Zengeza West legislator Job Sikhala, were yesterday remanded in custody to May 26.
Emmanuel Sitima (24), Comfort Ncekuyenkosi Mpofu (22), Tawanda Benjamin Watadza (24), and Lionel Andrew Madamombe (24) were remanded in custody after the State informed the court that a witness could not make it to court.
The students were being represented by Darlington Marange.
Allegations are that on May 15, 2023, between 0300 hours and 0500 hours in Harare, the four were among the 30 youths who took part in a protest holding placards, some inscribed “#FreeWiwa, #FreeJacob and #BlackMonday.”
The youths were singing and denouncing the Zanu PF government which they accused of persecuting the opposition politician. They are being accused of defacing the Parliament building in the central business district, the High Court of Zimbabwe, the Trinity Methodist Church and the Constitutional Court along Samora Machel Avenue and the Harare Magistrates Court.
They later dispersed without incident.
The students also took to social media under the hashtag #BlackMonday “to mourn the death of democracy and rule of law in the country”.
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