The state postponed the case involving Obert Masaraure, the leader of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) on Thursday citing ongoing investigations. The matter which was heard by Harare Magistrate Dennis Mangosi has been rescheduled for October 31.
Masaraure is represented by Doug Coltart.
Some Context:
Masaraure was arrested in June 2022, accused of being involved in the murder of his friend Roy Issa. The incident allegedly occurred in 2016 when Issa fell from the seventh floor of a Harare Hotel during a gathering with friends, including Masaraure. At the time, the police concluded that there was no foul play involved in Issa’s death.
The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) believes that these charges are fabricated to discredit Masaraure and stifle dissent against the current regime in Zimbabwe. They view the arrest as a tactic by the ruling regime to enforce their own self-serving rules. Masaraure was arrested while fulfilling his routine bail conditions for another charge at the Harare Central Police Station.
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) denounced the arrest viewing it as a deliberate attempt by the State to suppress Masaraure’s outspoken stance against human rights violations and his advocacy for improved working conditions for teachers. The union said Masaraure has faced multiple arrests on baseless grounds, including a harrowing incident in 2019 when he was abducted, tortured, and left for dead by masked and armed individuals. The ZCTU strongly condemned the arrest describing it as a “calculated arrest“, which aims to instil fear in trade unionists and the public. ZCTU demanded Masaraure’s immediate and unconditional release saying his arrest tarnished Zimbabwe’s reputation.