BULAWAYO – ZANU PF politburo member and former Mayor of Bulawayo Joshua Malinga on Thursday appeared in a Bulawayo magistrate court facing charges of undermining the authority of the police.
The 65-year-old politician and businessman was remanded on US$50 bail to July 31.
He was not formally charged with contravening Section 177 (b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act when he briefly appeared before magistrate Sithembiso Ncube.
His lawyer, Job Sibanda of Job Sibanda and Associates Legal Practitioners told the court that there was no need to put the charge to his client, as he was aware of it.
He added that his client was coming from home and had no complaints against the police.The case had to be moved from Court Two on the first floor of Tredgold Building to Court Seven on the ground floor because Malinga moves with the aid of a wheelchair.
Clad in a gray suit, Malinga listened carefully as his lawyer addressed the court and relatives wheeled him out of the courtroom after the remand with a prison officer holding the court record so that they could pay bail before he would be allowed to go home.
Prosecutor Evans Mungoni told the court that on February 11 this year, at around 10am, constable Raphael Somerayi was on duty manning the High Court building reception and was dressed in police uniform.
Malinga parked his vehicle at the corner of 8th Avenue and Herbert Chitepo Street with its tail allegedly encroaching into the road thereby blocking other cars.Somerayi approached Malinga and spoke to him in Shona requesting him to park properly.
The state is alleging that Malinga responded by insulting the complainant in English saying; “You are stupid, idiot officer speaking Shona in Matabeleland”. The police officer requested to see his drivers’ licence but Malinga allegedly refused with it saying there was no law that forces him to carry it on his person.
Malinga allegedly threatened to put the police officer in “hot soup” for interrupting him.The officer requested him to accompany him to Tredgold Building to see his superiors if he (Malinga) was offended by his use of the Shona language.
At the Tredgold Court section, Assistant Inspector Tendekayi Murehwa, who is also a public prosecutor, attended to Somerayi and Malinga. The state alleges that Malinga continued with foul words and said, “He is a stupid, idiot police officer who speaks Shona in Matabeleland”.
Matebeleland refers to Zimbabwe’s southwestern provinces dominated by Ndebele-speaking ethnic groups while Shona is spoken by the country’s majority ethnic group.
– ZimOnline
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