Man in court over a Mugabe hobo jibe

By Mthulisi Mathuthu

MARONDERA – Yet another man was this week brought to court facing charges of undermining President Mugabe’s name, a newspaper report said Friday. 

According to the NewsDay, Norman Shamuyarira appeared before Marondera Magistrate Josephine Sande on Wednesday for allegedly labeling Mugabe a hobo.

Charges are that on October 12th at a ZANU PF election victory party Shamuyarira shouted ‘Mugabe irombe’ loosely translated ‘Mugabe is a hobo’ after he was denied food.

According to the report Shamuyarira, who denies the charges, was speaking to a Watson Chividze at the party held at Mahusekwa Secondary school. Chividze, who is a member of the Zimbabwe National Army, reported the matter to the police leading to Shamuyarira’s arrest.

Shamuyarira of Mharapara Village under Chief Samuriwo was granted a $20 bail and remanded to October 30th for trial. An official at the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights told SW Radio Africa that they had recorded ‘about 70’ such cases since 2010.

They include Chenjerai Pamhiri, a lecturer at Great Zimbabwe State University, who was jailed in May 2013 for allegedly calling Mugabe ‘a rotten old donkey’ and the then MDC-T MP for Chinhoyi, Stewart Garadhi, who was arrested in 2009.

Garadhi was accused of playing a popular MDC song extolling Tsvangirai while denigrating Mugabe.

Also in 2009 student activists Clever Bere, Blessing Vava, Kurayi Hoyi and Tafadzwa Kutya were arrested after a member of the CIO overheard them discussing national politics in a commuter bus in 2009. SW Radio Africa