Zimpapers Logo

Michael Magoronga Midlands Correspondent
Kwekwe City Council’s Ward 9 Councillor Kandu Lawe on Monday appeared in court facing charges of defeating the course of justice and public violence.

This was after he allegedly caused havoc at a polling station during the just ended Zanu PF primary elections.

Clr Lawe is alleged to have incited youths to behave violently, disturbing the voting process and threatening to manhandle police officers manning the polling station over a mix up of cell registers and missing names.

The city father is also alleged to have gone to Amaveni Police Station in company of marauding youths and forcibly took away from police custody a youth who had been arrested for public violence.

Clr Lawe together with David Muriva and Stanely Zambuko were released on bail after they briefly appeared before Kwekwe Magistrate Livard Philemon.

They will be back in court on Tuesday next week.

The State led by Christian Gatsi alleged that on April 29 at Amaveni Polling Station, Cllr Lawe discovered some anomalies in cell registers that were to be used for the voting exercise.

He allegedly ordered the polling officers to stop the voting exercise until the anomaly had been solved, to which the polling agents told him the matter was being attended to.

Cllr Lawe turned violent and charged into the polling station where he accused the polling agents of being rigging machines.

He threatened to assault them if they continued with the voting process, the court heard.

Stanely Zambuko, who was part of the marauding youths, grabbed a police officer who tried to quell the violence and threatened to beat him up. Police reinforcement were called leading to the arrest of Zambuko, who was taken to Amaveni Police Station.

Clr Lawe together with a group of youths some of whom are still at large, besieged the police station where they advised Zambuko to jump from behind the counter as a police officer was recording a statement from him.

The group fled from the police station. A manhunt was launched leading to the arrest of Cllr Lawe, Murira and Zambuko.