Another “Dzamara”Arrested
12 November 2015
Spread the love

The police in Mrewa have  arrested and detained 35 year-old man Moenda Mberi for allegedly blaming President Robert Mugabe as the author of the country’s economic crisis, which has “brought untold suffering among some of his ruling Zanu PF party sympathisers.”
Mberi (pictured) was been charged for undermining authority or insulting President Mugabe in contravention of Section 33 (2) (b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
The police led by one Detective Sergeant Munotumani of the CID Law and Order Unit in Mashonaland East province claimed insulted President Mugabe after he allegedly accused the 91 year-old ZANU PF party leader of having run out of ideas to arrest the country’s agonising economic crisis.
The police charged that Mberi, who was being represented by Kennedy Masiye of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), and was said to have uttered some unpalatable words at a beer retail shop located at Juru Growth Point in Goromonzi North constituency in Mashonaland East province.
The police alleged that Mberi blamed President Mugabe for the poor fortunes of some ruling ZANU PF party supporters, who are experiencing weight loss despite the promises from their leader who in the run-up to the 2013 general elections had pledged to create two million jobs and help fix the economic crisis.
Mberi was however on Wednesday released at the Murehwa Magistrates Court before he could appear in the courtroom after prosecutors declined to proceed with the matter as they had not secured authority to prosecute the villager from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) head and Prosecutor-General Johannes Tomana as provided under the law.
There has been a dramatic increase in the arbitrary application of Section 33 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23) in recent years, where individuals have been charged with allegedly “insulting or undermining the authority of the President”.
Since 2010, ZLHR has attended to more than 100 cases where clients have fallen foul of this law and the bulk of the victims are residents and villagers residing in the politically volatile Mashonaland Central province.
mrewa
ZLHR has challenged the constitutionality of Section 33 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23) on several occasions, on the basis that it infringes on freedom of expression, particularly of a public figure, and one who must be subjected to scrutiny as a political candidate.
In courts, the NPA has in recent years and months been withdrawing charges against several suspects after declining prosecution and conceding before Constitutional Court judges that the allegations do not disclose the commission of an offence.
This would be after ZLHR attorneys would have petitioned the country’s apex court seeking orders challenging the constitutionality of the insult law.

5 Replies to “Another “Dzamara”Arrested”

  1. It’s a vicious cycle. Mupurisa kusunga munhu imhosva yekuti iye mupurisa wacho wazwa ngenzara because of the economic meltdown. Munhu wasungwa wo claima human rights, wotaura zvaanoda. Rambei zvakadaro. Potse potse mupurisa kusunga munhu kuti dambudziko renhamo yetinayo itaurwe pachena. Kana zvanyorwa kudai hazvichagumiri muno chete, asi zvinopararira pasi rese.

  2. if police are allowed to use common sense we won’t be having these unnecessary charges on poor & suffering citizens of a crippled economy which can’t walk anymore like “someone”.

  3. This police officer is sick if he does not acknowledge that Mugabe’s rulership has not benefited the masses. Smith was better than Mugabe. Akakuti zvinosungisa kutsiura vatungamiri ndiani.?

Comments are closed.