Zimbabwe mayor denied bail in high-profile case
The mayor of Zimbabwe's capital Harare, Jacob Mafume, was denied bail on Thursday in a case that has triggered fresh accusations of harassment of the country's opposition.
Mafume has been charged with defeating the course of justice.
He was arrested on Monday for alleged witness tampering in another case involving abuse of office for which he was already out on bail.
Mafume was ordered remanded in custody to January 28 by Harare Magistrate Ngoni Nduna.
Mafume, elected in September, is a prominent member of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which accused the ruling ZANU-PF party of harassment.
"The sabre-rattling ZANU-PF regime is arresting our councillors in order to cow them into submission," it said on Monday.
"The regime wants total control of authorities. That will be resisted."
Mafume had been arrested on November 25 on allegations of having allocated residential land to his sister and a colleague.
It was while he was on bail on this charge, according to prosecutors, that he tried to interfere with a witness, Edgar Dzehonye, a municipal housing manager.
Mafume said he had been arrested in a setup, as he had never had any contact with Dzehonye.
But prosecutors said Mafume had been communicating with Dzehonye and planned to bribe him with the equivalent of $1,500 (1,225 euros).
Nduna said the state's evidence was convincing.
"There were existing bail conditions for him including not to interfere with witnesses," Nduna said.
"It is therefore clear that this cannot be cured by any other condition but imprisonment is the only remedy and the accused is therefore accordingly denied bail. "
His lawyers indicated they would immediately file an appeal.
