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I was bitten by lice in prison – Roy Bennett‏

By John-Chimunhu
for ZimEye.org

Published: October 20, 2009

commentComment        

I was bitten by lice in prison – Roy Bennett‏ thumbnail

HARARE(ZimEye)Zimbabwe’s deputy agriculture minister-designate Roy Bennett says he endured lice in Mutare prison last week as part of the price he is having to pay for ‘annoying’ Robert Mugabe.

 

“It is good to be out again. Prison is not a nice place. There are a lot of lice,” Bennett told the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights newsletter, Legal Monitor in an interview published on Monday.

 

Bennett is now set to go on trial on November 9 charged with attempting to commit banditry, terrorism and sabotage, charges which carry the death penalty. He denies the charges and says he is being framed by Mugabe for standing up for the rights of Zimbabweans as the MDC-T treasurer and a member of the country’s senate.

 

“I have to be annoying someone so much for that persecution to continue,” Bennett said. “I have to say it must be president Mugabe himself. He has serious issues with me and has serious racial problems. The fact that I have a constituency and a following annoys him immensely he would want to discredit me and get me out of the way.”

 

Bennett was arrested in February at a small airfield as he prepared to go and celebrate Valentine’s Day and his birthday with his family in South Africa, where he lived in self-exile following threats to his life.

 

However, in the interview, Bennett vowed never to leave politics or abandon Zimbabweans fighting for their rights, although he was under immense pressure from the authorities. Mugabe has refused top swear him in as a cabinet member, despite his strong endorsement from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

 

“Part of the persecution is not against me personally but it is against the MDC because I stand for the party in everything I do. I am only there to deliver change to my comrades and my people,” Bennett said.

 

The former MP for Chimanimani – known affectionately as Pachedu – was an early victim of Mugabe-inspired farm invasions. His Chimanimani farm was invaded by militants at the behest of then security minister Didymus Mutasa, who is also Zanu PF secretary for administration who took over the farm.

 

Bennett was jailed for a year at a remote prison on allegations that he scuffled in Parliament with justice minister Patrick Chinamasa who, analysts said, had severely provoked him when he talked abusively about how Bennett had been dispossessed of his farm. (ZimEye, Zimbabwe)


WPSN comments

19 Comments on "I was bitten by lice in prison – Roy Bennett‏"

  1. Bruce Derere Ph.D on Tue, 20th Oct 2009 4:01 pm 

    Bennett has a strong following in Chipinge, who are not paid to support but support him witha ll their heart, people who will even die ton defend him.

    He speaks the Shona language more fluenttly than Mugabe and Chinamasa put together. Yes every man has his faults and we shouild not think bennet is jesus Christ because he is not, just like everyone of us BUT among many Zimbabweans, Bennett stands out not only as a master farmer, but also as a child of the country who’s prominence infuriates Mugabe.

    Obviously Mugabe and his paltry followers, hate Bennett for his greatness of influence. May the true enemies of Zimbabwe now be judged according to their deeds and may those who have been their victims be subdued to the dust!

  2. baas on Tue, 20th Oct 2009 11:10 pm 

    those lice were there before bennett got in.whats so special about hum being bitten by lice as to make a headline?becoz murungu.who were the lice biting before him which never made it into your paper?

  3. Thabani Ngwenya on Wed, 21st Oct 2009 12:57 am 

    baas uri tsindi yemunhu. Saka hama dzako dzichirumwa dzkanyarara because they think “its a right to be bitten by lice while in prison” What is wrong with Bennet pointing out appaling conditions in our prisons? Just because murungu he can’t say so? Shame on you. Typical ZANOID! Take the blinkers off your barains chap and realize that we now live in a global village where colour does not matter anymore. It’s this line of thinking in you ZANU people which is making us lag behind. Facts are facts irregardless of who they come from, black or white!! CHINJA MAFUNGIRO HAMA YANGU

  4. comrade on Wed, 21st Oct 2009 6:58 am 

    Baas,you are showing that you are not a dead wood like thabani ngwenya. even during the smith regime lice used to bite blacks in our prisons, now they want to cry foul over this, nokuti inda yazoruma murungu saka zvashamisa, hapana chakachinja apa, chakanjinja ndechekuti bennet murungu arumwawo chete. iye akanga asingaziwe kuti mujeri mune inda. aah nhai!!! Rumwa uri nyama yenda iwe.

  5. SONGI on Wed, 21st Oct 2009 7:10 am 

    bruce derere hatitauri nezvako, pfungwa dzako hamewo zvadzakangoitwa nokuda varungu.You don’t talk facts but always running away from facts and critising others. fungawo kuti hapana chinoshamisa kuti murungu arumwa nenda, hapana here ve mdc vatema vakarumwa nenda, why did they not put that as a heading before Bennet wako iyeye.

  6. Bruce Derere on Wed, 21st Oct 2009 8:46 am 

    Zviripo that vanhu vatema have suffered mu maprison aya which has been reported widely. Inda, Pelagra, AIDS, Cholera, Makonye (worms) which has been widely scattered on international media.

    You guys are just trying to release your anger on another race for no reason at all. Ini ndiri munhu webgo aka ngofanana nemi ndinoti:

    Iwe songi na Baas wako munofanira kufunga mhani kwete kushandisa manzwira-nzwira kufunga.

    Zita rako ndi-Sorobhi, mwana mamai Sorobhi!

  7. SONGI on Wed, 21st Oct 2009 12:08 pm 

    idya derere rako iroro wakanyarara,handisi mwana wamai sorobhi. yenda siyana nayo, otherwise newe futi rumwa.

  8. Sylevester on Thu, 22nd Oct 2009 6:41 am 

    Inda dzagara dzinoruma zve. Vamugabe vakamborumwawo nenda vapinzva mujere nasekuru vako Smith.Hapana kana chinoshamisira nenda. even kawani

  9. maerera on Thu, 22nd Oct 2009 11:13 am 

    TAURA HAKO SYLEVESTER!!!!!!!!!!

  10. kutonhodzwa kwa chauruka on Thu, 22nd Oct 2009 7:01 pm 

    ini handisi kuti vatema takaitwa sei .tinotora varungu sa mwari.chashamisa apa pakurumwa kwa bennet ne nda chii.ko inga vana biti,matinenga,mahlangu vakambovharirwa mu jeri wani nhasi kuvharirwa kwemurungu ndiko kotiparadzanisa kuchiita kuti vanhu vafe nenzara,zvirwere etc.nyika yedu is now directionless because of remote controls and satelite agendas

  11. Tsoko Murehwa on Thu, 22nd Oct 2009 9:33 pm 

    Iwe Chauruka, why do you exhibit that kind of stupidity here?

    If this was a black MP we would still cry foul, why? Because he is an MP period!

    Someone’s skin shade has nothing to do with this.

    Please give up your stupidity or it will soon kill you

  12. Sylevester on Fri, 23rd Oct 2009 6:40 am 

    Iwe Tsoko wagara uritsoko. Ndepapi pawakaisa comment pakanzi maMP matema asungwa. Chaunomanyira kutaura nezvevarungu. IyewoBennert wako ngaazive kuti inda dzoruma.Period. Muromo mudhende.

  13. maerera on Fri, 23rd Oct 2009 7:47 am 

    iwe tsoko na chauruka akapusa ndiani? You are so stupid tsoko, chauruka is trying to shade light kuti uonewo kuti iwe benzi tsoko wakangofananawo na Bennet pakurwadziwa, hazvirevi kuti kana uri munhu mutema hauna ropa. wakambonzwa musoro wenyaya wokuti Biti akarumwa ne nda mujeri kana ani zvake mutema. Wake up stupid tsoko. why tichisimudzira varungu zvakadaro nhai.Haaa. vakomana chii chakaitika mupfungwa dzemutema chaizvo?

  14. GEO on Fri, 23rd Oct 2009 7:57 am 

    VARUNGU VANGA VAJAIRA KUISA MUNHU MUTEMA MUJERI ACHIRUMWA NENDA, SAKA NHASI NDIVO VAVAKURUMWA,VAVA KUSHAMISIKA NAZVO KUTI MUJERI MUNE NDA.INGA KUDZIDZA HAKUPERI!!!!! OTHERWISE NOTHING NEW PA NYAYA YENDA. DZAKAGARA DZICHINGORUMA VANHU THATS WHY DZIRIMO IMOMO ZVAKO IWE BENNET. RUMWAWO UMBONZWA KUTI ZVINOITA SEI.

  15. baas on Fri, 23rd Oct 2009 11:37 pm 

    Thabani Ngwenya i am not a “Zanoid”Are you an MDCist/mdcian who does mdcism.i hope not.the reporter should go to Khami prison and speak with Mduduzi Ngwenya about lice then make a headline of it to be fair.maybe bennet expected the lice to bite the guards then.in a dark mutare cell they couldnt tell races apart but they dd what naturally comes to them,which was very fair to all.

  16. Tsoko Murehwa on Sat, 24th Oct 2009 1:26 am 

    I know that GEO, baas, na maererea you are all CIOs crawling the internet so you can kill their brains with toxic information

    You can no longer kill, so Mr Mugabe has given you another assignment, to go and drop tsvina pamawebsites. You are all altogether shameful!

  17. Thabani Mukombe on Sat, 24th Oct 2009 8:00 am 

    @ Tsoko pliz wake up from your dogmatic slumber. CIOs also have a lot of work to do. I dont think they can deal with a petty thing like a confused mind of yours. Usatye hako vanotokunzvira tsitsi.

  18. Vusumuzi Masuku on Thu, 5th Nov 2009 2:34 am 

    izikakudli insikizi wena bhunu!!! are you trying to say isikhumba sakho legazi kuqhakathekile?

  19. shora Matika on Fri, 6th Nov 2009 7:40 pm 

    Pliz people of Zimbabwe we must learn to forgive these whites ndiwo wakaita kuti nyika yedu ibudirirewo zvimwe tendaiwo kani. Akarumwa netsikidzi zvechokwadi haasi kunyeba saka chashamisa chii. Musaita moyo mukukutu sewa Mugabe pliz Repent

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