By Talent Gondo

A Zimbabwe Republic Police officer will spend the next 10 days behind bars for commenting that Mugabe was “too old” to rule Zimbabwe.

Sergeant Thompson Joseph Mloyie was today sentenced to 10 days in prison after he was found guilty of contravening the Police Act when he allegedly accused former President Robert Mugabe of being “too old to rule” the country and questioning his marriage choice.

Mloyie had been on trial since January 2017 for allegedly contravening paragraph
35 of the Schedule of the Police Act (Chapter 11:10), that is, acting in an unbecoming manner prejudicial to discipline or reasonably likely to bring discredit to the Police Service.

During the trial, which was presided over by Superintendent Makunike at Harare Central Police Station, the ZRP claimed that Mloyie
discredited the Police Service when he was arrested on 05 March 2016 at Cranborne Police Station by ZRP officers and charged with undermining the authority of or insulting  the President in contravention of Section 33 (2) (a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.

Mloyie, who was represented by Jeremiah Bamu and Noble Chinhanu of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, was arrested after he allegedly uttered the words: “President Mugabe achembera haachakwanisi kutonga nyika ino. Ndiye arikukonzera (sic) kutambura munyika ino uye akaroora hure Grace Mugabe,” which the ZRP translated to mean “‘President Mugabe is too old and incapable of leading this country and is the cause of the suffering going on in this country and is married to a prostitute, Grace Mugabe.”

The ZRP claimed that Mloyie was under the influence of alcohol, when he uttered the alleged offensive words.

In passing sentence after first convicting the police officer on Wednesday 28 February 2018, Superintendent Makunike ordered Mloyie to spend 10 days in prison.

During the trial, the ZRP lined up two witnesses namely Sergeant Stanley Makunda and Sergeant Amos Muchenjero, who are all members of the ZRP  to testify.