THE three Sunday Mail journalists accused of publishing falsehoods yesterday had their case postponed to next week after Harare magistrate Tendai Mahwe dismissed their application for discharge, saying they had a case to answer.
BY MARY TARUVINGA
Sunday Mail editor Mabasa Sasa, investigative editor Brian Chitemba and reporter Tinashe Farawo are alleged to have published a false report insinuating that a senior member of the police force was involved in the killing of elephants at Hwange National Park.
The scribes are also accused of having claimed investigations were underway to uproot the “culprit cop” in the poaching syndicate, which left over 100 elephants dead in 2014.
Their lawyer, Advocate Fadzai Mahere, said they had approached the High Court with an urgent chamber application for stay of proceedings pending determination on the application for review.
“The application was filed on Friday and we expect the matter to be set down any day now so we propose that the matter be postponed to September 14 so that continuation can be guided by the high Court,” she said to State’s consent. Prosecutor Francesca Mukumbiri appeared for the State.
The three argued that they should be removed from remand as all witnesses did not dispute that investigations were indeed underway to unearth the culprit behind cyanide poisoning.
But the chief witness, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) spokesperson, Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba, disowned the story, saying she never confirmed that one of her colleagues was being investigated.
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She accused Farawo of putting her job on the line and the ZRP’s name in disrepute.
