BY SILAS NKALA
BINDURA magistrate Langton Ndokera has acquitted a local resident, Saymore Mashorokoto, who was on trial for blaming President Emmerson Mnangagwa for the country’s deteriorating political and economic situation.
Mashorokoto was arrested after publicly calling on Mnangagwa to hand over power to opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa.
During trial, the prosecution alleged that the 45-year-old Mashorokoto, who was charged with contravening section 41(b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, had acted in a disorderly conduct.
They alleged that Mashokorokoto had used threatening, abusive, or insulting words intending to breach peace.
But Ndokera on Thursday acquitted Mashorokoto, who was represented by Tinomuda Shoko and Blessing Nyamaropa of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), after ruling that the evidence presented in court by the State did not warrant a conviction.
Ndokera also stated that before bringing such cases to court, police should seriously consider the impact they pose to the country.
Meanwhile, an MDC Alliance councillor in Bindura has denied charges of disorderly conduct after he allegedly stated that Mnangagwa had run down the economy and caused untold suffering to the citizens.
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Brian Kembo denied the charge on Wednesday when he appeared before magistrate Maria Musika.
The prosecution alleged that Kembo (36), who is represented by Idirashe Chikomba of ZLHR, engaged in disorderly conduct when he allegedly stated that several people in Zimbabwe were stressed owing to Mnangagwa’s failure to fix the country’s economic crisis after winning the 2018 presidential election.
The prosecution claimed that Kembo boarded a commuter omnibus on October 24 last year, where during a conversation with another passenger, blamed Mnangagwa for failing to alleviate the current economic crisis, which has seen a spike in the cost of living.
According to a ZLHR report, two witnesses have testified against Kembo, who was remanded out of custody to October 24, when Musika is expected to make a ruling on his application for discharge.
