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Gomwe granted bail on fresh charges

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EMBATTLED Harare Zanu PF youth provincial chairman Godwin Gomwe was yesterday granted $200 bail on two fresh charges of criminal insult and breach of the Postal and Telecommunications Act after allegedly insulting a Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) officer over the phone.

EMBATTLED Harare Zanu PF youth provincial chairman Godwin Gomwe was yesterday granted $200 bail on two fresh charges of criminal insult and breach of the Postal and Telecommunications Act after allegedly insulting a Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) officer over the phone.

BY PAIDAMOYO MUZULU

The bail hearing came one day after police rearrested Gomwe following a High Court ruling on Thursday that had granted him $1 000 bail on three counts of extortion involving $46 000.

In the earlier charge, Gomwe is jointly charged with six others — Muchinerepi Mpindu, Fidelis Ndaradza, Humphrey Madenyika, Haruwandi Munyaviri, Norah Torongo and Josephine Hadziende.

Prosecutor Michael Reza said: “Gomwe is facing two counts which are criminal insult as defined in Section 95 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act and breach of Section 88A of the Postal and Telecommunication Act when he used indecent language offer the phone in his communication.”

Reza said the State was not opposed to the granting of bail.

According to the State papers, Gomwe committed the offences when he called a CIO operative Abraham Samushonga a “gammatox” over the phone for allegedly interfering in Zanu PF Harare Central zone 1 district affairs.

Gamatox is a pesticide, but the word is now being used by Zanu PF to refer to a faction linked to former Vice-President Joice Mujuru.

Magistrate Tendai Mahwe granted Gomwe bail and remanded him for trial to July 6 2015.

“You are granted $200 bail with the following conditions: To report once every week on Fridays at Budiriro Police Station between 6am and 6pm, not to interfere with witnesses and to reside at Budiriro given address until the end of trial,” Mahwe said.

The court heard that the witnesses in the matter were Winnie Madekufamba, Abraham Samushonga and Richard Samunda.

Mahwe had earlier granted bail to Gomwe’s associates Nadaradza and Torongo, who were also arrested yesterday on fresh charges of obstructing justice.

“They are facing charges of defeating or obstructing the course of justice as defined in Section 184(e) of the Criminal Law( Codification and Reform) Act,” Reza said.

According to State papers, the duo threatened an informant, Theresa Ndambakuwa, after they realised that police were investigating allegations of rape against Chrispen Mazinyani by saying: “You will not be able to live here in Glen Norah after starting this war.”

The duo was remanded to July 6 2015 for trial.

Meanwhile, High Court Judge Justice Garainesu Mawadze yesterday granted Gomwe’s six co-accused $500 bail each on the extortion charges. The six are Mpindu, Ndaradza, Madenyika, Munyaviri, Torongo and Hadziende.

The six in their bail application were represented by lawyer Rungano Mahuni. The bail was granted by consent.