By Bulawayo Correspondent

TWO Bulawayo aspiring MDC Alliance councillors and a party activist were this week sentenced to perform community service at different schools in the city following their conviction for public violence.

Bulawayo magistrate, Sithembile Ncube sentenced aspiring councillor for Ward One, Mlandu Ncube, Felix Mhaka and Erick Gono to 12 months imprisonment but suspended six months on condition of good behaviour.

The three were ordered to do community service for the remaining six months.

The Alliance‘s Bulawayo South parliamentary candidate, Kunashe Muchemwa, who was also convicted on public violence charges alongside the three, absconded the court for the second time.

Magistrate Ncube on Wednesday last week issued a warrant of arrest against Muchemwa after he failed to appear in court.

Ncube and others were convicted but their lawyer, Prince Butshe Dube from Mathonsi Ncube Law Chambers requested court to deliver the sentence for the other three while police looked for Muchemwa but the magistrate insisted that sentence be delivered concurrently.

Following the MDC-T split in 2014, another Bulawayo magistrate, Mark Dzira slapped Muchemwa and the party’s then deputy president Thokozani Khupe‘s driver, Witness Dube with a $400 fine for assaulting a fellow party member following a brawl over control of a vehicle.

Ironically, Dube is also one of the victims in the case.

Initially, twelve party activists including Bulawayo deputy Mayor, Gift Banda were arrested in connection with the violence but the other eight accused were acquitted.