Mugabe's anger at court 'madness'

He urged his supporters to ignore the decision, which he said was "madness", according to state media.

Roy Bennett was sentenced to 12 months in prison for attacking the justice minister in a debate on land last year.

This is the first ruling made by the court, which was set up ahead of the 31 March parliamentary elections.

The court also postponed the election in Bennett's eastern Chimanimani constituency by a month to give his team time to campaign.

Unclear rules

"Proceed as if nothing has happened," the Herald newspaper reports Mr Mugabe as saying at a Zanu-PF campaign rally not far from Chimanimani.

"I don't understand the court's decision. We can't be held to ransom by a man who is in prison. That is absolute nonsense. We will study the decision and appeal against it."

Bennett's lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, had told the BBC News website that the decision should be final but as it was the court's first decision, the rules were not clear.

"There is no precedent for us to go by," she said.

The court was set up as part of reforms to comply with new regional electoral guidelines.

The opposition says the reforms are superficial and human rights group Amnesty International says the elections cannot be free and fair.

But the Zimbabwe government insists the elections will be above board and that the opposition is crying foul because it fears defeat.

Occupied

Bennett attacked Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, who had called Mr Bennett's ancestor "thieves and murderers", during a debate on land reform last October.

His appeal against the 12-month sentence was last week rejected by the High Court.

His Chimanimani farm has been occupied on several occasion by loyalists of the ruling Zanu-PF party.

Opposition Movement for Democratic Change spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi confirmed that Mr Bennett would be the party's candidate.

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