Judge orders coup plotters' trial to be held in open court

Judge orders coup plotters' trial to be held in open court

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By Lebo Nkatazo

A ZIMBABWEAN judge on Friday ordered that the trial of seven men accused of plotting to overthrow the government of President Robert Mugabe's in a military putsch should be held in open court.

The seven men -- including a former army captain -- were arrested on May 29 and charged with treason. They face the death penalty if convicted.

The alleged coup plotters have already appeared in two secret hearings before a magistrate and were denied bail on both occasions.

The in-camera hearings were held at the request of prosecutors, who said the case involved national security.

Defence lawyers appealed against the denial of bail to the High Court and on Friday, Justice Tedias Karwi postponed the hearing to June 22.

Harare lawyer Charles Warara, has instructed top attorney Jonathan Samkange to lead the men's defence.

Warara said the defence team were ready with their arguments for bail at Friday's hearing, but the judge postponed the case to next Friday to give police more time to prepare their testimonies for the prosecution which opposes bail.

Warara said: “Justice Tedias Karwi also said the case would be heard in open court."

Asked if the defence team had applied for the case to be heard in open court, Warara replied: “No.”

The government-controlled media which had maintained a blackout of the alleged coup plot finally reported the men's arrest hours after the judge's ruling.

In its Saturday edition, the state-run Herald newspaper based its report strictly on court proceedings with no background information or any official government reaction.

The alleged coup attempt has stoked political tensions in the country, with some reports suggesting the alleged plot was a manifestation of growing factional fighting within the ruling Zanu PF party. Two factions have emerged -- one led by Emmerson Mnangagwa and the other by Vice President Joice Mujuru which are both vying for the control of the party when Mugabe steps down.

In court papers, Mnangagwa has been named as the man who would have taken over as President had the alleged coup plot succeeded.

In his first public comments since the alleged plot emerged, Mnangagwa called the allegations "just stupid".

And to add further mystery, Mnangagwa has not been arrested or interviewed by the police.

He said Friday: "That is stupid. I don't know anything about that. It's stupid. I'm reading about it in the paper but there's nothing like that. But I must tell you it's just stupid."

Prosecutors accuse retired soldier Albert Mugove Matapo, 40, of recruiting six others "who conspired to plot a coup to overthrow the Zimbabwe government", according to court documents.

Matapo, it is alleged, wanted to "recruit as many soldiers as possible to take over the government and all camps and be in control of the nation after which he will announce to the nation that he was in control of government and would invite Minister Mnangagwa and service chiefs to form a government".

Another former army officer, Albert Rugowe, is accused of conspiring with his co-accused and recruiting members of the army, the air force and the police "to whom he gave some tasks in preparation of a coup".

Others named are serving officers, among them Capt Shepherd Maromo and Olivine Morale, whose rank and age have not yet been established.

Military sources in Harare told New Zimbabwe.com that the alleged plotters had contacted several western countries to "sound them out" if they would support a coup.

A source said: "They presented them with a hypothetical situation, and asked if they would support it if it happened.

"The general feedback was that the western countries would publicly condemn the coup and privately support it only if it would restore democracy in Zimbabwe."

Few details have emerged of the actual plot, but sources said the plan was to seize control of State House and Mugabe's Borrowdale residence through an air and ground assault, arresting some of Mugabe's loyalists in the process.

The coup was tentatively set for June 15, the pay day for military and police officers.

"The coup was primed to take place when soldiers are generally more concerned with their pay and shopping with their families," said the source.

A political commentator, who asked not to be identified for his own safety, said: "This is the first credible attempt of a military overthrow of Mugabe's government. It was designed and calculated to send a chill down his political spine, and it did."

Zimbabwe is in the throes of its worst economic crisis in history, with official inflation pegged at 3714 percent. The economic collapse has heightened political tensions with President Mugabe accusing his opposition rivals of enlisting the help of Britain and the United States in a plot to oust him.

President Mugabe has typically crushed opposition to his rule with a brutal show of force. Leading opposition officials have been jailed and tortured in police custody, sparking international condemnation and isolation of Mugabe's regime.

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