‘ Fearless ’ Zim lawyer to seek bail tomorrow

She was granted bail by the high court, but law enforcement agents refused to release her. The magistrate’s court remanded her in custody until April 3.

On Friday, she went back to the high court to seek her release, but the matter was again postponed — to tomorrow — after high court judge Joseph Musakwa granted prosecutors more time to study her papers of appeal before proceeding with the hearing.

The police also arrested Thabani Mpofu, the prime minister’s director for research, former prosecutor Felix Matsinde, ex-Harare councillor Warship Dumba and Mehluli Tshuma, another staffer, for allegedly impersonating police officers and obtaining information in violation of the Official Secrets Act.

They were also accused of compiling corruption dossiers targeting Zanu-PF ministers.

On Thursday, the police intensified their seizures of Tsvangirai’s staffers, picking up Spiwe Vera and Elizabeth Banda. It follows a crackdown on civil society organisations and a resurgence of political violence in Zimbabwe.

President Robert Mugabe has been in power for 33 years.

Mtetwa has been fighting for the restoration and upholding of the rule law.

The feature-length documentary about Mtetwa captures the voices of victims of brutality. It is being co-produced by Zimbabwean filmmaker and journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, filmmaker Lorie Conway and US journalist Andrew Meldrum, who lived and reported from Zimbabwe for 23 years before being deported in 2003.

Mtetwa represented Meldrum, who was one of many foreign correspondents to be expelled.

She arrived in Zimbabwe in 1983 from her native Swaziland. In 2003, she was assaulted by a policeman when she called law enforcement agents for help after being hijacked.

“It was traumatic and I think that was actually the worst I’ve ever had in terms of being beaten up,” she said in one interview.

Mtetwa has won many international awards in recognition of her defence of human rights.