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By
Staff
Reporter
PHILLIP Chiyangwa is alive although a bit slimmer, according to his
family, and has appeared in court charged with selling official State
secrets to foreign agents.
The state-run Herald newspaper finally broke a two-week information blackout on the Chinhoyi legislator's whereabouts on Thursday morning with a banner headline 'Spy ring smashed'.
"A spy ring allegedly involving flamboyant businessman and Chinhoyi legislator Phillip Chiyangwa and three others has been smashed," the paper said.
Chiyangwa's appearence before a Harare magistrate late Wednesday afternoon ended days of rumours that he had suffered a stroke, was in a coma or dead after being tortured by Zimbabwe's secret agents.
Chiyangwa and his three co-accused have now been handed over to the police after state security agents from the Central Intelligence Oerganisation satisfied themselves that there was a breach of the Official Secrets Act.
President Robert Mugabe's nephew, Chiyangwa, and the other men appeared separately before the same magistrate Peter Kumbawa. They were expected to appear in court again on Thursday.
Zimbabwe's ambassador-designate to Mozambique Godfrey Dzvairo, Metropolitan Bank company secretary Tendai Matambanadzo, and Zanu-PF external affairs director Itai Marchi were brought to court in leg irons before Kumbawa asked the guards to unshackle them.
The Herald, although not revealing the details of the charges, said Dzvairo, Matambanadzo and Marchi may already have pleaded guilty and been convicted, with only sentencing still to come, but other reports said there were defence efforts to change the pleas.
It is understood that the four have been charged under Section 4 of the Official Secrets Act. This section is the lesser of the two sections that deal with passing on confidential State information.
Section 4 deals with those who pass on information which they have acquired or been told in confidence to unauthorised people. They face up to 20 years in jail on conviction, but the judge or magistrate can impose a fine instead of the prison sentence or as well as the jail term.
The harsher section 3 applies to those who first acquire the information by active spying, and those convicted face up to 25 years in jail without the option of a fine.
Chiyangwa, who was dressed in a black casual outfit, a jersey and sandals, had an opportunity to chat with his wife and relatives before the court proceedings began, the Herald said.
"He could be seen whispering to his wife and daughter whom he said had just arrived from abroad following rumours that he had died. In an apparent attempt to raise his spirits, some of the relatives could be overhead jokingly telling Chiyangwa that he had lost weight during the period he was in detention," the paper said.
There was however, less glamour for Matambanadzo, Dzvairo and Marchi when they were brought to court in leg irons clad in khaki prison garb.
The Herald says they "appeared jittery and continually glanced around the packed courtroom".
Magistrate Kumbawa ordered that the leg irons be removed before proceedings could commence.
"It’s not proper that they be brought to court in leg irons. Can you go back and remove the chains?" he said.
The prison officers
complied with the order and immediately unshackled the accused.
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