By Farai D Hove| The senior lawyer who is currently the MDC Treasurer General, David Coltart has criticised the trial that and conviction of the popular Chief Felix Ndiweni.

Chief Ndiweni was sentenced to 18 months in prison over a property damage case amounting to USD30.00

Writing at the end of the week, Coltart said in full:

I have just discussed Chief Felix Ndiweni’s case with his lawyer Dumisani Dube. From our discussion it is clear that this entire case is just a political sham trial in which none other than Obert Mpofu and Zanu PF have been deeply involved in.

The prosecution was spurious, the judgment deeply flawed and the sentence utterly ridiculous. Even if one accepts the deeply flawed State case as fact (which is strenuously denied by Chief Ndiweni) the damage alleged to property is only RTGS $300, namely US$ 30, for which Chief Ndiweni has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment. There was no evidence that Chief Ndiweni himself damaged the property but somehow he has been found vicariously guilty. This is a profoundly shocking development and the hand of Zanu PF is clearly obvious.

Zanu PF have been deeply angered by Chief Ndiweni’s staunchly independent attitude and principled criticism of all that is so wrong about Zimbabwe today. This politically motivated trial is clearly designed to silence a very troubling voice.

The public at the court today were deeply angered by the jailing of this honest, decent, compassionate and principled traditional leader, so much so that riot police had to be deployed in case their anger boiled over.

I have no doubt that Zanu PF have scored a major own goal in this sham trial. This shocking judgment and sentence will reverberate throughout Matabeleand and beyond. When I last met Chief Ndiweni (pictured below) he was on his way to Kwazulu Natal to meet South African traditional leaders, who I have no doubt are going to be deeply angered by this matter.

All this will ultimately do is further undermine any last remaining respect rural people have for this pitiful, incompetent and corrupt regime.

Chief Ndiweni’s legal team are working on an appeal and an application for bail which will be lodged as soon as possible.