IN a significant move, a Zimbabwean court has denied bail to opposition leader Jameson Timba and more than 70 others who were arrested last month for holding an unlawful gathering. This comes amid escalating tensions following the disputed August 2023 elections, which saw the ruling ZANU-PF party securing a parliamentary majority.
The opposition in Zimbabwe has long been under pressure, with critics accusing ZANU-PF, in power since 1980, of stifling dissent. Timba, along with his son and other members of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), were detained on June 16 at his residence in Harare’s Avondale suburb.
The group faces charges of disorderly conduct and participating in an unlawful gathering. Judge Munamato Mutevedzi of the Harare High Court ruled against bail, citing the likelihood of re-offending. However, the judge granted bail to a 17-year-old detainee, while Timba’s 19-year-old son was granted bail last month.
Timba assumed the interim leadership of the CCC after Nelson Chamisa resigned in January. In response to the court’s decision, CCC spokesperson Promise Mkwananzi condemned what he described as the ‘capture and weaponisation of the judiciary’ for political gains by ZANU-PF.
Human Rights Watch has also noted an intensifying crackdown by the government ahead of the Southern African Development Community heads of state meeting in August, heightening concerns about political repression in Zimbabwe.
