BULAWAYO Central legislator Dorcas Sibanda on Friday asked the court to allow her to produce a printout of messages sent to her by an MDC-T youth member who faces allegations of insulting her using instant message platform WhatsApp. SILAS NKALA STAFF REPORTER
Bulawayo magistrate Gladmore Mushove had just dismissed Donaldson Mabutho’s (31) application for exception, after prosecutor Jeremiah Mutsindikwa convinced the court that he had a case to answer.
Sibanda indicated that before the trial could begin, she would like the court to permit her to produce the printout of the messages which were sent to her by Mabutho.
Mabutho of Luveve in Bulawayo, represented by Kholwani Ngwenya of Mabhikwa and Company law firm, is denying the charge of contravening section 88(a) of the Telecommunications Services Act, which prohibits “sending any message that is grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or threatening character” in which he labelled the legislator a “schemer”.
Mushove remanded the case to January 27.
Mabutho is out of custody on $100 bail. His bail conditions are that he continue to reside at his Luveve 5 home and report every Friday at the Bulawayo Central Law and Order Section until the matter is finalised.
He had earlier on told the court that allegations against him were a result of factional fights within the party.
The court heard that on November 14 2014, at around 9:21am, Mabutho allegedly posted abusive and threatening messages on the MDC-T group chat, directing them towards Sibanda.
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The messages, some of them written in a local language and containing words that cannot be printed in a family newspaper, accused Sibanda of pursuing a destructive agenda within the MDC-T.
