Scores of Zanu pf supporters Throng court in Support of Disgraced former councillor and Colleague

Gweru court on edge as ZANU PF loyalists rally behind fallen comrades

By Harry Taruva & Kwacha Mahachi

GWERU – The Gweru Magistrates Court was transformed into a political battleground on Monday as a contingent of ZANU PF loyalists descended on the hallowed halls of justice, their presence casting a shadow over the impending sentencing of disgraced former councillor Charles Simbi and his wife, Zodwa Thembinkosi Simbi.

The couple, once influential figures in the Midlands ZANU PF provincial structures, now stood as convicts—found guilty of forging a land offer letter to seize a gold-rich 10-hectare plot at Kanuck Farm. But for their comrades, their downfall was not just a legal matter—it was a party affair.

By mid-morning, the courtroom buzzed with hushed defiance. About 25 ZANU PF members—Women’s League delegates in their own clothes, Youth League militants, and provincial heavyweights in tailored suits—filled the benches, their collective presence a silent challenge to the court’s authority. At the center of it all was Nugget Manyima, a senior party operative, orchestrating proceedings like a field marshal in a war of influence.

No slogans were chanted, but the message was clear: solidarity over justice. Small huddles formed, voices murmuring disapproval of the conviction, while court officials exchanged uneasy glances. The tension was thick enough to stifle the air.
"A direct assault on judicial independence," muttered one lawyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "This is intimidation dressed as support."
The Simbis’ conviction was no isolated incident. Charles Simbi, already a controversial figure, had earlier this year skirted prison for gold ore theft. Now, with this latest fraud ruling, the courts seemed poised to finally deliver a reckoning—until politics intervened.

The case itself was brazen: a forged land offer letter, purportedly from the Ministry of Lands, used in a civil dispute in Kwekwe. The magistrate ruled the couple had conspired to deceive the judiciary, a finding that should have been the final word. But in Zimbabwe, where politics and justice often wear the same colours, finality is never guaranteed.

Outside, the tension spilled into the nearby street. Small clusters of ZANU PF supporters lingered, their demeanour shifting between vigilance and agitation. More worrying was the presence of artisanal miners—some threatening violence against the Simbis' lawyer, accusing him of "failing to bail out their comrade."
Court officials, wary of escalating unrest, postponed sentencing indefinitely. "We cannot proceed under these conditions," one admitted privately. "The judiciary must not be held hostage."
As the drama unfolded, legal observers warned of a dangerous precedent. "When courtrooms become party boardrooms, the rule of law dies in whispers," said legal analyst Elvis Moyo. "This isn’t support—it’s coercion."
Yet for ZANU PF’s foot soldiers, the calculus was different. Loyalty to the party eclipsed fidelity to the law. And as long as their presence could sway outcomes, the courtroom would remain just another theatre of political war.
For now, Gweru holds its breath—waiting to see whether justice will bend or break.