A PRIMARY school teacher based in Gutu yesterday appeared before Harare magistrate Anita Tshuma facing allegations of insulting President Robert Mugabe and Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri through a text message that he sent to the latter’s mobile phone.
PHILLIP CHIDAVAENZI
Charles Dondo, who was not asked to plead when he appeared in court, was charged with sending offensive or obscene messages in violation of the Postal and Telecommunications Act.
He was remanded in custody and his trial will begin tomorrow.
For the State, prosecutor Tungamirai Chakurira told the court that on July 26 this year at Batanai Primary School in Gutu, Dondo (46) — who is from Tapfuma Village under Chief Chimombe’s area — sent an offensive text message to Chihuri .
The message, according to the State papers, read: “Chihuri and Mugabe you are idiots and a disgrace to Zimbabwe. You will die mose naMugabe (together with Mugabe). I don’t fear you. Come to Batanai Primary, Basera Gutu. Mr C Chando mhondi! (murderer)”
The court heard that the police boss, who is the complainant in the matter, received the text message on his phone number 0712235367.
He then made a police report after which the police launched an investigation into the matter. Investigations were carried out leading to the arrest of the accused person at his workplace, according to Chakurira.
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During the arrest, it is alleged that the police recovered the Net–One mobile line 0715460764 used to sent the offensive text which was in the accused person’s Samsung GT-E1050 cellphone.
A check for the sent message in the outbox was done and it was discovered that he had already deleted the message.
