Lecturer faces Mugabe insult charge
By Godfrey Mtimba
MASVINGO – A lecturer at Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) on Tuesday appeared before a Masvingo magistrate facing charges of insulting President Robert Mugabe.
Chenjerai Pamhirwa, 38, the GZU cultural and heritage studies lecturer, was hauled before local magistrate Langton Ndokera facing charges of insulting Mugabe in a bar in Mashava.
Pamhirwa of house number 3392 Muchecheni Street in Rujeko suburb was charged with undermining the authority of or insulting the president as defined in Section 33 (2) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
Shamiso Masokovere, prosecuting, told the court that on September 2 this year, Pamhirwa shouted obscenities after he met a reveller Antony Muvha who was wearing a Zanu PF T-shirt with Mugabe’s face.
The incident happened at Chemberi Bar.
It was further alleged Pamhirwa started shouting on top of his voice to Muvha that he was stupid because he supported Mugabe.
“Handisapoti musangano unotungamirwa nengomwa ine 89 years, mudhara asina kana muzukuru akadzinga baba vevana akatora mukadzi wacho nevana. (I do not support a party led by an 89-year-old who is sterile and takes away people’s wives and children),” he said.
He was immediately arrested by police details that were in the bar.
This is not the first time the lecturer has been arrested for insulting Mugabe. In May this year, he was sentenced to three months in prison for labelling Mugabe “a dirty, rotten old donkey” but he appealed against both sentence and conviction.
Pamhiri, who was represented by Philip Shumba of Mutendi, Shumba and Partners, was remanded out of custody to September 20. In a separate case, Naison Mudzuri, 27, from chief Ndanga in Zaka got himself in trouble after he shouted and accused Mugabe of being a crazy man who has ruined the economy.
He made the remarks aboard a bus from Chivhu.
Mudzuri appeared before the same magistrate on the same day facing similar charges of insulting the authority of the President under the criminal code.
Prosecutor, Mosokovere told the court that on September 6 this year around 17:30 hours, Mudzuri, who was a passenger in an Inter-Africa bus heading to Chiredzi shouted at fellow passengers who were clad in President Mugabe campaign T-shirts and accused them of being crazy because they were led by a foolish man in vernacular.
“Vanhu mose muri muno makapfeka nhumbi dzina Mugabe hamukuri kana kudzidza makaita sei? Haana kana development yakaitwa neirori benzi rinonzi Mugabe kubva 1980. Nyaya dzake dzinongova dza Blair ndidzodzoga dzaanongo simbirira.
“Haagoni kutonga nyika ino yaakaondonga kubva kare. Ini ndiri muchinja akazara, munhu wese anoteera benzi ibenzi saka imi muri mapenzi ne kuti munoteerera Mugabe, Pamberi napresident Tsvangirai.
(All of you who are in this bus putting on Mugabe T-shirts you do not learn and grow. Mugabe has not developed this country since he started ruling in 1980 and is only good in attacking Tony Blair.)
So all of you who support him are crazy just like him. This man has ruined the country and that’s why I am a MDC supporter, hail president Tsvangirai),” he said. He was immediately arrested after his utterance by some police officers who were aboard the same bus.
Mudzuri was represented by Martin Mureri of Matutu, Kwirira and Partners. He was remanded out of custody to September 26. Daily News
