By Staff Reporter
Police in Zimbabwe have added two more suspects to a list of people accused of running the popular but mysterious Baba Jukwa Facebook page.
According to police spokesperson Charity Charamba, they have added freelance journalists Zakes Moyo and Mkhululi Chimoio, onto their wanted list. She said both journalists were based in Johannesburg, South Africa. This brings to 14 the number of people the police are accusing of being behind Baba Jukwa.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police is keen to interview Zakes Moyo and Mkhululi Chimoio in connection with the administration of the Baba Jukwa Facebook page and posting of subversive material,” said Charamba.
“Moyo is believed to be residing at number 98 Berea, Johannesburg, South Africa, while Chimoio’s address is given as No. 71 Alexander, Berea, Johannesburg, South Africa. These two are suspects in the administration of Baba Jukwa.”
Moyo and Chimoio are freelance journalists with The Zimbabwean, whose owners Wilf Mbanga and his wife Trish are also being sought by the police in connection with the case. Mbanga has already rubbished the allegations as ‘misguided’ and said the police were on a phishing expedition.
“The police seem to be on a phishing expedition. They only have to read a copy of the Sunday Mail of May 11th where my hacked email exchange with Baba Jukwa was published. This clearly shows that I had nothing to do with the said Facebook page.
“The Sunday Mail itself claimed that I had been duped into paying my own reporters to publish some of Baba Jukwa’s exposes that were already on Facebook and the internet. Why would I offer to pay for something if I was an administrator?” Mbanga said in his statement.
The police also listed Sunday Mail editor Edmund Kudzayi and his brother Phillip, Mxolisi Ncube, Walter Shoko, Samson Chifamba, George Chirakasha, Anomie Drew, Piniel Nhokodi and Sarudzai Florence as the other suspects.
Ncube and Chimoio were the first to be accused by the state media of being Baba Jukwa. The two however denied any involvement and instead hired Harare lawyer Obert Gutu to file lawsuits against the publications who made the claims.
After a serialization by the state media of what was meant to be hacked Baba Jukwa emails it was then that Edmund Kudzayi’s attempt to help the army track down the mystery blogger backfired and he was instead arrested. At least that is what he has claimed in his defence outline.
Ironically the Sunday Mail newspaper edited by Kudzayi was one of those who published the leaked Baba Jukwa emails, claiming then that they had evidence linking journalists Mxolisi Ncube and Mkhululi Chimoio to the Baba Jukwa Facebook page.
