By Mary Taruvinga

FORMER Zanu PF youth leader, Godfrey Tsenengamu, will spend another night in custody after Harare magistrate Ngoni Nduna failed to finish writing his ruling on Monday.

The magistrate said the ruling, which was initially supposed to be handed down on Monday, will now be ready this Tuesday.

The former Zanu PF youth league national political commissar is facing charges of incitement to commit public violence.

He has been in custody since Friday after handing himself to the police. He had been on the run since July this year.

The state opposed his bail when he appeared in court.

Apart from arguing that Tsenenganu was a flight risk, the State also said the firebrand politician was much safer inside prison walls than outside since he had complained of being trailed by unknown people.

Tsenengamu is being charged for his alleged role in mobilising for the foiled July 31 anti-government mass protests.

The investigating officer Clifford Mugabiri opposed bail emphasising the need to safeguard the now empowerment activist from some unidentified people he claimed had been stalking him.

“I fear for his safety because during our investigations, he indicated that unknown people were following him day and night,” he said.

Tsenengamu’s lawyer, Harrison Nkomo, argued that there were no valid reasons to justify denying his client bail.

He urged the court to treat Tsenengamu in a similar manner to MDC Alliance deputy national chairperson Job Sikhala and Transform Zimbabwe leader Jacob Ngarivhume, who were recently granted bail by the High Court on similar charges.

Nkomo said Tsenengamu was prepared to deposit $7 000 bail, surrender his passport, continue residing at his Waterfalls home in Harare, report once a week at CID Law and Order until the matter was finalised.