Bennett was a fugitive-Zimbabwe Home Affairs Minister Mohadi says

Bennett was a fugitive-Mohadi

By Delta Ndou

MDC-T national treasurer and Deputy Minister of Agriculture-designate, Mr Roy Bennett, who was arrested at Charles Prince Airport in Harare last Friday as he was preparing to flee the country, was a fugitive, the co-Minister of Home Affairs, Cde Kembo Mohadi said, yesterday.


Bennett fled the country in March 2006 when he was wanted by police in connection with the discovery of an arms cache at Peter Hitschmann’s house in Mutare.
Hitschmann was immediately arrested, charged and later convicted.
Recovered on the property were an AK47 rifle, four FN rifles, seven Uzis, 19 pistols and revolvers, 11 shotguns and an assortment of ammunition — all concealed.
In an interview, Cde Kembo Mohadi said Bennett was a “fugitive’’ who escaped after being granted bail in a bid to avoid justice while his alleged partner in crime, Peter Hitschmann has since been convicted.

“There was a warrant of arrest issued against Bennett by the courts. We are merely upholding the law and putting the court order into effect . . . that is our constitutional mandate. No one is above the law and he (Bennett) sought asylum knowing full well that he was being charged with a crime,’’ Cde Mohadi said.
Bennett — who was released from prison in 2005 after serving a year’s jail term imposed by Parliament for assaulting the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Cde Patrick Chinamasa, in the legislative chamber in 2004 — allegedly skipped the country via Mozambique en route to South Africa where he sought refuge.
He was subsequently granted political asylum in South Africa.
Investigations into the arms cache led to the arrest of a number of top MDC-T officials and two ex-policemen and the recovery of numerous police and army uniforms and rounds of ammunition.

Cde Mohadi confirmed that Bennett had been apprehended at Charles Prince Airport where he was preparing to leave the country.
According to Mr Ian Makone, Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, Bennett intended to spend a few days with his family in South Africa before taking up his job as deputy minister.

This was his first time to return to the country since he fled arrest.
“We had been looking for him for one and a half weeks prior to catching him at the airport where he was planning to leave the country. So we apprehended him immediately because his case is pending,’’ explained Cde Mohadi.