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Geraldine Zaranyika Herald Reporter
Members of shadowy anti-Government organisations who allegedly received training in Maldives with the intention to roll out violent demonstrations in the country and subvert a constitutionally-elected Government, will be back in court on January 7, 2020 when the State will provide a trial date.

Prosecutor Mr Charles Muchemwa applied for a postponement citing that investigations were still going on.

He applied for a longer remand period, promising that on the next remand date the State will serve the accused with a trial date.

“We would have placed our house in order on the next remand date, if the State fails to provide the accused with a trial date after this long remand, they will be removed from remand,” said Mr Muchemwa.

Harare magistrate Mrs Learnmore Mapiye remanded the matter citing that the court had noted the time the accused persons are on remand and the offence they are facing.

“The court is giving the State a last chance to furnish the accused persons with a trial date,” she said.

According to the State, on May 13, the accused persons connived with their accomplices and travelled to the Maldives, where they underwent a training workshop organised by a Serbian non-governmental organisation, the Centre for Applied Non-violent Action and Strategies (CANVAS), with the intent to subvert a constitutionally-elected Government.

They were arrested upon arrival at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.

Their laptops and cellphones, which contained the subversive materials, were recovered and were sent to Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) for extraction of evidence.

CANVAS confirmed in a statement that it had trained the accused persons.