According to the statement from the ZLHR below, the pastor and 26 mourners who were arrested last week have been granted bail. The whereabouts of the vuvuzela remain unknown.

27 mourners granted bail

Harare Magistrate Reward Kwenda on Tuesday 24 May 2011 granted bail to 27 residents of Kuwadzana and Marlborough suburbs of Harare, who were arrested last week on their way from the burial of their relative and charged with public violence for allegedly assaulting some ZANU PF supporters and some new farmers.

Magistrate Kwenda freed the mourners after their lawyers Gift Mtisi of Musendekwa and Mtisi Legal Practitioners and Tarisai Mutangi of Donsa-Nkomo and Mutangi Legal Practitioners, who are members of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights applied for bail when they appeared in court on Monday 23 May 2011.

State Prosecutor Sidom Chinzete opposed the bail application and argued that the nature of the offence committed was serious and that the release of the mourners on bail would endanger the safety of the public.

But Magistrate Kwenda threw out the State’s assertions and ruled that the interests of justice will not be prejudiced by the admission of the accused persons to bail.

The Magistrate ordered the 27 mourners to deposit $20, continue residing at their given residential addresses and not to interfere with State witnesses.

The 27 mourners who include Pastor Dominic Dziwedziwe (36) of Kuwadzana, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Harare Province Vice-chairperson Shakespeare Mukoyi were arrested on Thursday 19 May 2011 and charged with contravening section 36 (1) (a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23 while coming from burying the body of an MDC activist Jack Ndeketeya at Granville cemetery, who had passed away early last week.

According to Bulawayo Agenda:

Binga residents are reportedly over the moon after the Minister of Education, Sport and Culture Sen David Coltart revealed that for the first time ever, Grade 7 students will this year sit for Tonga examinations. Last year, the ministry printed thousands of Sotho textbooks. The ministry is in a campaign to promote ‘minority’ languages in the country.

According to the statement from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) below, a pastor and 26 mourners who were coming from a funeral last week have been charged with public violence and have spent their fifth night in police custody. “Evidence” seized by the police include MDC regalia and a vuvuzela.

Pastor, Mukoyi and mourners wallow in detention

27 mourners including a Pastor, who were arrested and charged with public violence last week, on Monday 23 May 2011 spent their fifth night in detention after Mbare Magistrate Reward Kwenda postponed his ruling on their bail application to Tuesday 24 May 2011.

Pastor Dominic Dziwedziwe (36) of Kuwadzana, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Harare Province Vice-chairperson Shakespeare Mukoyi and 25 other mourners appeared in court on Monday 23 May 2011 for their initial remand, where their lawyers Gift Mtisi of Musendekwa and Mtisi Legal Practitioners and Tarisai Mutangi of Donsa-Nkomo and Mutangi Legal Practitioners, who are members of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights applied for their admission to bail.

In his bail application Mtisi argued that his clients were mourners who were travelling to Kuwadzana high density suburb after burying their colleague at the graveyard.

But Magistrate Kwenda postponed the bail hearing to Tuesday 24 May 2011 to allow State Prosecutor Sidom Chinzete to respond to the bail application after he indicated that he was not in a position to file some submissions in response to the bail application, although he indicated that he would oppose bail.

Chinzete alleged that the 27, Charged with contravening section 36 (1) (a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23 for public violence were arrested on Thursday 19 May 2011 while coming from burying the body of an MDC activist Jack Ndeketeya at Granville cemetery, who had passed away early last week.

He alleged that the mourners alighted from their vehicles at Boka Tobacco Auction Floors and assaulted some farmers and other people by throwing stones at them and tore some ZANU PF posters and banners pasted at the tobacco auction floors.

The prosecutor accused the mourners of throwing stones at some tobacco farmers who were waiting to sell their tobacco crop at the auction floors forcing them to flee for safety while leaving their goods at a flea market unattended.

Chinzete claimed that the mourners stole clothes, a mobile phone handset and a sim card valued at $339 before they were arrested by the police near Kuwadzana suburb.

Police seized the five vehicles which were ferrying the mourners to Kuwadzana suburb and intend to use them as exhibits together with MDC regalia, which include a red and white cap, a red vuvuzela and a wrapping cloth.

Calling All Young Women in Southern African to 3 Days of Empowerment and Celebration!

The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) and the African Women Millennium Initiative Zambia (AWOMIZ), in collaboration with young women’s networks and formations in Southern Africa, are hosting a Southern African Young Women’s Festival (SAYWF) in Lusaka, Zambia from 17 to 21 October 2011.

The Festival, organised under the theme “My Rights, My Freedom, My Responsibilities” is designed to provide spacefor young women between 18 and 30 years of age, to come together and share experiences, share strategies and energise each other and celebrate their youth and the potential they have to advocate for social justice in their respective communities.

Find out more and download the application form here

Applications are now being accepted for Artist in Residency Programmes via The Africa Centre. There are 8 different residencies available from around the world for artists from a range of disciplines. According to their website, “the programme has been conceived to support artists from Africa who are provocative, innovative, relevant and highly engaged with both social issues and their art forms.”

The application deadline is 1 June 2011.

Find out more

According to the Standard this week:

Foreign-owned companies opposed to the country’s indigenisation and empowerment laws must shut operations and relocate to their countries of origin, Minister of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment Saviour Kasukuwere said last week. He said Chinese and Indian investors were ready to take over foreign-owned companies that are resisting to hand over 51% shareholding to black Zimbabweans, adding that Far East countries were ready to comply with the country’s empowerment laws.

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Because Chinese and Indian investors are not foreign? Or maybe some foreigners are just more equal than others.