SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe
The MDC-T legislator for Makoni South, Pishai Muchauraya, has finally been released after spending more than a week in custody for allegedly threatening to kill Amos Kutiya, his political rival Geoff Nyarota’s campaign manager.
Muchauraya was sent to Rusape Remand Prison on June 7th after the State invoked a section of the Criminal Law to overrule an earlier court decision granting the MP bail.
The MP is out on $300 bail after his lawyers applied to the High Court. He is accused of making threats against Nyarota’s campaign manager at a rally in Makoni South, in March. Nyarota was also eyeing the Makoni South seat on an MDC-T ticket.
Muchauraya denies the charges which he says are the work of his political enemies who wanted to interfere with his confirmation as the party’s parliamentary candidate during the MDC-T’s primary election process.
He was confirmed as the party’s candidate in the forthcoming election with a resounding 447 votes, thus effectively putting paid to his rival and accuser Nyarota’s political ambitions.
Responding to his confirmation Muchauraya, who was speaking while in police custody, said he felt that the people of Makoni South had demonstrated their confidence in him.
Speaking to SW Radio Africa after his release Wednesday Muchauraya said he was happy to be out following the connivance of Nyarota and the prosecutor to keep him out of the constituency during the primaries.
“They connived to keep me out of the constituency so that Nyarota would sail through but luckily the people of Makoni saw Nyarota for what he is, a sellout. And they went ahead and voted me to represent the party in the national election even though I was in custody.
“Faced with a choice between a real cadre of the struggle and a sellout, the people of Makoni South rejected a sellout who is being used by the very regime that is responsible for the murders of many MDC supporters,” the legislator said.
Muchauraya is expected back in court in Mutare on June 28th but meanwhile, a warrant of arrest was issued against him in Harare after he missed a June 13th court appearance at Rotten Row Magistrates’ Court due to his incarceration.
He told this station that the Harare hearing relates to another charge in which he is accused of insulting and threatening to kill Nyarota, another accusation Muchauraya denies.
See also: http://www.swradioafrica.com/2013/04/17/muchauraya-charged-with-murder-of-john-nyamande/