MDC -T official acquitted of ‘Mugabe-an-old goat’ charge

Politics
A BULAWAYO MDC-T provincial executive member was on Friday acquitted of charges of insulting President Robert Mugabe at a burial in November last year.

A BULAWAYO MDC-T provincial executive member was on Friday acquitted of charges of insulting President Robert Mugabe at a burial in November last year.

NQOBANI NDLOVU STAFF REPORTER

Tsepiso Mpofu, the MDC-T Bulawayo provincial organising secretary, was nabbed for allegedly saying “Mugabe is sh**, an old goat who has destroyed the economy.”

Zanu PF supporters attending a separate burial ceremony nearby allegedly overhead Mpofu insulting Mugabe and reported her to the police leading to her arrest and detention at Mzilikazi Police Station.

Mpofu, who was out of custody on free bail, faced charges of violating Section 33 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act for publicly undermining Mugabe.

Her lawyer Kossam Ncube of Ncube and Partners said the State on Friday withdrew the insult charges against Mpofu due to lack of evidence.

Mpofu told Southern Eye yesterday that she was elated with the withdrawal of the charges saying she had had no case to answer in the first place.

“The case against me was always going to collapse because it was cooked up. It was just of waste of my time. I am, however, happy about this development,” Mpofu said.

Mpofu is one of the many Zimbabweans who have been arrested and taken to the courts for either insulting Mugabe or undermining his authority.

Last year Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said it was worried by the rate at which State security agents were arresting citizens on charges of insulting Mugabe.

The Constitutional Court late last year made a landmark ruling noting that some sections of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act) were unconstitutional.