State Withdraws Charges Against Biti and Ncube

By Southerton Business Times Reporter, Harare

The State has withdrawn charges against Constitution Defenders Forum (CDF) convenor Tendai Biti and fellow leader Morgan Ncube, seven months after their arrest over allegations of convening a public meeting in Mutare without notifying the authorities.

CDF National Spokesperson Jacob Rukweza welcomed the decision in a statement issued on Monday, 19 October 2026, saying the withdrawal vindicated the organisation’s position that the two leaders were innocent. “The Constitution Defenders Forum welcomes the withdrawal of charges against its leaders Tendai Biti and Morgan Ncube today, seven months after their arrest on 21 March 2026,” Rukweza said.

He maintained that the two should never have been arrested, insisting that they had not committed any offence. “From day one, we have known and maintained that our leaders were innocent because they did not commit any crime. The withdrawal of charges by the State has vindicated us and confirmed what we had always known,” he said.

Biti and Ncube were arrested on 21 March 2026 over allegations that they had convened a public meeting in Mutare without notifying the regulating authority, allegedly contravening the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act.

CDF alleges political persecution

Rukweza described the allegations as false and accused the ruling ZANU PF party of using the legal system to suppress dissent and target activists campaigning for the protection of Zimbabwe’s 2013 Constitution. He said the arrests formed part of what the CDF considers a deliberate effort to frustrate its leaders and intimidate members of the public opposed to proposed constitutional changes.

“The objective is to intimidate and frustrate CDF leaders, instil fear in the general public and to demobilise the democratic contingent fighting against the mutilation of the national constitution,” Rukweza said. He added that the organisation would continue its campaign despite what it described as attempts to weaken its activities. “The CDF membership will not be shaken or intimidated by these primitive tactics by a regime intoxicated with power and determined to turn this republic into a monarchy,” he said.

Rukweza said the organisation remained committed to its stated goal of defending the 2013 Constitution. “We are determined to fight on until the 2013 Constitution is restored,” he said. The withdrawal ends the current prosecution against Biti and Ncube, although the statement provided by the CDF does not specify the legal basis for the State’s decision or whether the withdrawal was with or without the possibility of bringing the charges again.

The State’s position on the reasons for withdrawing the charges was not included in the CDF statement. The development comes amid the CDF’s campaign against what it describes as efforts to alter the country’s constitutional framework. The organisation says it intends to continue advocating for the preservation of the 2013 Constitution.

Tendai Biti and Morgan Ncube charges withdrawn