Harare - A junior minister from Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's party who was arrested for allegedly stealing a mobil phone has been released on bail but still stands charged of theft, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Charles Kwaramba, lawyer for deputy minister for youth Thamsanqa Mahlangu, said his client was released from custody late Monday after the state rowed back on its intention to oppose bail granted by a court last Friday.

Mahlangu was arrested two weeks ago in connection with the theft of a cellphone during a political meeting in Harare. The phone belonged to a member of President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party, which formed a coalition with Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in February.

"His charge still stands and his trial will resume on August 12. I do not see this regime dropping charges on any MDC MP (member of parliament)," Kwaramba said, in response to media reports that the charges had been dropped.

A string of MPs from Tsvangirai's party have been arrested in recent weeks on various charges, in what the party calls an attempt by Zanu-PF to overturn the MDC's majority in last year's general elections. At least four have been convicted and jailed. An MP is barred from parliament if he is convicted to a jail term of six months or more.

Last Friday, an MDC MP was detained for about 10 hours in the north-western town Chinhoyi for playing a song that the state said belittled Mugabe. (dpa)