A police officer, Shungudzemoyo Kache, on Saturday appeared in court after he was arrested and charged with “insulting and undermining” Emmerson Mnangagwa by likening him to a “condom”, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has revealed.

Kache allegedly told one Stanley Mabhachi, who was wearing a scarf with the Zimbabwean flag colours, that Mnangagwa is a “used condom”.

Kache’s lawyer Jeremiah Bamu of ZLHR told the court that his client was taken to ZANU PF headquarters after he was arrested.

In his latest Big Saturday Read (BSR), renowned law expert Alex Magaisa observed that police and prosecution authorities have a strong appetite to apply provisions criminalising presidential insults, hence the rampant arrests and prosecutions.

Said Magaisa:
“… while the police and prosecution authorities have a strong appetite to apply provisions criminalising presidential insults, hence the rampant arrests and prosecutions, the Constitutional Court has been a more reluctant customer. The Constitutional Court has been more dismissive of these offences.”

The remarks by both the late Chief Justice Chidyausiku and the current Chief Justice Malaba have been highly critical of these prosecutions which do more damage to the presidency than the comments on which they are based- News24online