THE Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) have intervened in the case involving a Nyamandlovu woman accused of insulting President Robert Mugabe.
Silas Nkala
The lawyers yesterday said they would apply for referral of the case to the Supreme Court contesting sections used to charge her.
Jeritha Nkomo (36) has not been formerly charged with undermining the authority of the President or insulting him.
Last Thursday, she appeared before magistrate Victor Mpofu who was presiding over a circuit court at Nyamandlovu.
The magistrate remanded her out of custody to November 1 on $30 bail after the ZLHR wrote a letter to the court indicating they would take the case up with a higher court.
A ZLHR letter seen by NewsDay yesterday dated October 16 2012, read: “It is our intention to file on this day an application for the proceeding to be referred to the Supreme Court in terms of Section 24 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.”
The State case is that sometime last year Nkomo and her husband Vincent Dube were driving slowly in Umguza when they spotted Nyamandlovu Zanu PF district chairperson Raphael Ncube (53) at his neighbour’s home.
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Nkomo is alleged to have started shouting at Ncube on top of her voice using unprintable words.
She allegedly called him a witch, that he had a goblin and also mentioned the President’s name in the vitriol.
Nkomo and her husband drove off while Ncube reported the matter to the police, leading to her arrest.
Meanwhile, a teacher at Mahlothova Secondary School is on the run after he absconded trial for allegedly insulting Mugabe during a heated quarrel with the headmaster over cessation of his salary by the Education ministry.
Wellington Chitiyo (29) briefly appeared before magistrate Mpofu at Nyamandlovu circuit court early this month on charges of undermining the authority of or insulting the President.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded out of custody on free bail to October 18 when the trial was expected to continue, but he did not turn up for the hearing.
The magistrate issued a warrant of arrest against him.
The court heard that on October 2 last year at 7pm, Chitiyo was drinking beer with the headmaster of Mahlothova Secondary School, Danisa Ncube at Mtatazela bottle store.
The two had a misunderstanding over cessation of Chitiyo’s salary after he allegedly absconded duty. He also allegedly insulted Mugabe using unprintable words and was arrested after a police report was made.
