Correspondent|Ten people who were part of a gang of protesters in Mutare last month have each been harshly sentenced to three years in prison by a Mutare magistrate.

Tonderayi Maruta (45), Donstain Mulaka (35), James Marifiye (25), Gift Kambiro (27), Tatenda Matsika (25), Hamashow Zimunya (32), Biggie Chikunguru (28), Shepherd Manyaradze (15), Innocent Chidarura (15) and Blessing Chikwizura (31) were jailed by magistrate Tendai Mahwe.

The 10 were arrested after they allegedly attempted to block Feruka Road in Mutare.

In a stance that appears to be set up for all courts trying arrested protesters, Mahwe initially sentenced them to 36 months in prison each before suspending 12 months of the jail term for five years on condition that they did not commit a similar offence within that period.

Prosecutor Last Goredema proved that the convicts were part of a group of rowdy protesters that were arrested by the police on January 15 this year as they were marching along Feruka Road near Natvest Industrial Park.

The group, which was also burning tyres and blocking the road using boulders, wanted to march into Mutare’s Central Business District.

Source: State Media