Opposition leader guilty of 'unlawful gathering'

A Zimbabwe court on Friday ruled that opposition leader Jameson Timba and 34 people who have been incarcerated for five months are guilty of unlawful gathering. News24 reports that Timba, an interim leader of the Citizens' Coalition for Change, was arrested on 16 June with nearly 80 other people in a case criticised as being part of a crackdown on political dissent. He and around 65 others from the original group were acquitted of a charge of disorderly conduct in September. On the outstanding charge of participating in an unlawful gathering with intent to commit public violence, Magistrate Collet Ncube found Timba and 34 others guilty. ‘This court is of the view that this gathering could have caused a breach of peace,’ Ncube said. ‘It is for that reason that police officers were alerted to maintain peace.’ Sentencing is expected this week.