An opposition legislator has been charged with undermining authority of or insulting President Emmerson Mnangagwa after he allegedly accused the ZANU PF party leader of being devoid of solutions to fix Zimbabwe’s economic crisis.
Hon. Joel Gabbuza, the MDC-Alliance party legislator for Binga South constituency appeared in court on Monday 12 November 2018 facing charges of undermining the authority of or insulting the president as defined in section 33(2)(b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform).
Prosecutors claimed that Gabbuza, who was represented by Thulani Nkala of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, unlawfully and intentionally made an abusive, indecent or obscene statement about or concerning President Mnangagwa when he allegedly told mourners at a funeral on 23 October 2018 at John Bwansula’s homestead in Manzasiya village in Binga, Matabeleland North province that President Mnangagwa’s government is clueless in solving Zimbabwe’s economic crisis, which is marked by fuel and drug shortages.
Gabbuza, the prosecutors charged, told mourners that the fuel shortages in Zimbabwe had forced him to travel to neighbouring Zambia to source fuel for use during the funeral.
