CITIZENS Coalition for Change (CCC) activist Maxwell Manatsa, arrested early this month on allegations of assaulting a Zanu PF official at Nembudzia Secondary School grounds in Gokwe, was yesterday granted $50 000.
Manatsa (52) was represented by Solomon Kangambeu from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights when he appeared before Gokwe magistrate Honest Masiyiwa.
The CCC activist was ordered to report three times a week at Nembudziya Police Station and not to interfere with State witnesses.
While applying for bail, Manatsa, through his lawyer denied the offence saying he was actually a victim of the violence perpetrated by Zanu PF members who had gate-crashed a CCC rally.
Kangembeu also submitted that the State had no compelling reasons to deny his client bail.
State prosecutor Florence Mushanduri alleges that on February 12 this year, Manatsa — who was in the company of seven others who are still at large — attended an unauthorised CCC rally at Nembudziya Government High School grounds near Mutora business centre in Gokwe North.
It is alleged that they teamed up to disperse a group of Zanu PF members who were chanting party slogans less than 100 metres from the CCC rally.
The Zanu PF members were led by Shylet Hatina, a member of the ruling party’s district co-ordinating committee.
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The Zanu PF members then left, but later returned resulting in violence.
The accused person allegedly attacked Hatina with a brick. Hatina, who was in her car parked within the grounds, reportedly sustained a swollen left eyelid and laceration, and was attended to at Gokwe North Hospital.
The other accused persons allegedly joined Manatsa and attacked Themba Motsi, the Zanu PF Nembudziya chairperson, hitting him with bricks on both arms.
The State alleges that they allegedly caused chaos by throwing bricks that disturbed the peace and free movement of the other people who were just passing through the grounds.
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