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| In ], Bennett was in the Zimbabwean Parliament when the Attorney General, ] accused his ancestors of being thieves and murderers. Incensed, Bennett rushed over to Chinamasa and the two became involved in a physical altercation during which Bennett pushed Chinamasa to the ground. A ] was then passed along party lines imprisoning him for 15 months in Mutoko Jail. | In ], Bennett was in the Zimbabwean Parliament when the Attorney General, ] accused his ancestors of being thieves and murderers. Incensed, Bennett rushed over to Chinamasa and the two became involved in a physical altercation during which Bennett pushed Chinamasa to the ground. The incident was recorded in for the Zimbabwe Parliament. A ] was then passed along party lines imprisoning him for 15 months in Mutoko Jail. | ||
| The harshness and politically charged nature of his sentence has provoked international condemnation, with prominent world leaders and ] calling for his release. A campaign was also run by his friends and family. The imprisonment coincided with the ] which might have prevented Bennett from defending his seat; papers presented on his behalf by his wife Heather were refused, and Heather then presented alternative papers to run for office herself. On ], Zimbabwe's new Electoral Court ruled that Bennett could contest the elections. The court also postponed the election in his constituency Chimanimani by a month to give his team time to campaign. However, this did not prevent the MDC from losing the seat to ZANU (PF). | The harshness and politically charged nature of his sentence has provoked international condemnation, with prominent world leaders and ] calling for his release. A campaign was also run by his friends and family. The imprisonment coincided with the ] which might have prevented Bennett from defending his seat; papers presented on his behalf by his wife Heather were refused, and Heather then presented alternative papers to run for office herself. On ], Zimbabwe's new Electoral Court ruled that Bennett could contest the elections. The court also postponed the election in his constituency Chimanimani by a month to give his team time to campaign. However, this did not prevent the MDC from losing the seat to ZANU (PF). | ||
Revision as of 10:59, 23 July 2006
Roy Leslie Bennett (born February 16, 1957) is a Zimbabwean politician who is a former member of the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe for the seat of Chimanimani. He is a member and National Treasurer of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) (anti-Senate).
Political involvement
Bennett was a farmer of the Charleswood Estate in Epworth in the east of Zimbabwe, the husband of Heather Bennett and the father of Charles and Casey Bennett, before his farm was seized in land reforms in 2000. He ran for parliament after being petitioned to by local chiefs and community leaders in Chimanimani, who were grateful for his work to repair roads in the Chimanimani region after the cyclone Elone and his respect for and understanding of the customs and traditional laws of the Chimanimani area. Bennett is also currently the Provincial Chairperson for the MDC in the province of Manicaland, after serving as Provincial Treasurer since 2000.
He was elected in the 2000 Parliamentary election, despite the constituency seeing intimidation against MDC voters by supporters of Zanu-PF. During the campaign his wife and family were physically attacked. His election was remarkable as one of only four white MPs elected in Zimbabwe, and the only one from a rural and almost completely black electorate.
Imprisonment
In 2004, Bennett was in the Zimbabwean Parliament when the Attorney General, Patrick Chinamasa accused his ancestors of being thieves and murderers. Incensed, Bennett rushed over to Chinamasa and the two became involved in a physical altercation during which Bennett pushed Chinamasa to the ground. The incident was recorded in Hansard for the Zimbabwe Parliament. A bill of attainder was then passed along party lines imprisoning him for 15 months in Mutoko Jail.
The harshness and politically charged nature of his sentence has provoked international condemnation, with prominent world leaders and Amnesty International calling for his release. A campaign was also run by his friends and family. The imprisonment coincided with the 2005 parliamentary election which might have prevented Bennett from defending his seat; papers presented on his behalf by his wife Heather were refused, and Heather then presented alternative papers to run for office herself. On March 15, Zimbabwe's new Electoral Court ruled that Bennett could contest the elections. The court also postponed the election in his constituency Chimanimani by a month to give his team time to campaign. However, this did not prevent the MDC from losing the seat to ZANU (PF).
Release
On June 28 2005 Bennett was released from Chikurubi Prison after spending eight months of his 12 month sentence in custody. It is standard prison procedure to commute a third of any sentence for good behaviour. He told reporters he had been made to stand naked in front of prison guards and was then given a prison uniform covered with human excrement when he arrived in jail. He denounced prison conditions generally in a press conference after his release, saying "The inhumanity with which the prisoners are treated and their total lack of recourse to any representation or justice combined with the filth and stench of daily life is something I will never forget and I will not rest until their conditions are improved."
Bennett declared his desire to continue in politics, saying "I am more determined than ever to continue to strive for a better Zimbabwe for all Zimbabweans, the current oppression cannot continue for much longer and sooner, rather than later, the people will assert their rights." He also said that if the opportunity arose and the people for Chimanimani asked him to, he would stand as their representative again.
Subsequent developments
During the MDC split over the proposed boycott of elections to the Zimbabwe Senate in 2005, Bennett sided with MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai in support of the boycott. Reports in the government-owned Zimbabwe Herald newspaper incorrected suggested that he was arrested, March 8 2006 after an arms cache was allegedly found at Mutare. The Herald also alleged that he was linked with a group called the Zimbabwe Freedom Movement with links to former Rhodesian Army members. Bennett went into hiding to avoid arrest, with some reports saying that he fled to South Africa in March 2006 by way of Mozambique. However, the charges were dropped after an unusual reported division between prosecutors and members of the Central Intelligence Organisation over the use of confessions allegedly obtained under duress. NewZimbabwe.com (17th March 2006) has reported that he would be standing against Morgan Tsvangirai for the leadership of the Anti-Senate faction of the MDC, but this was proved incorrect, with Roy Bennett elected unopposed as National Treasurer.