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‘Mugabe Toilet Paper’ Man Acquitted
A Zimbabwean court has acquitted a man charged with intending to use a poster of President Robert Mugabe as toilet paper in a bar, his lawyer says.
Prosecutors had accused Takura Mufumisi, 26, of violating election laws by destroying a campaign poster.
However, the court ruled that it had failed to prove its case, Mr Mufumisi’s lawyer said.
Mr Mugabe, 89, won a seven term in office after beating his rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, in elections on 31 July.
Mr Tsvangirai denounced the election as a sham, claiming he had been cheated of victory.
Mr Mufumisi was arrested at a bar in the southern city of Masvingo less than a week before the election.
He was acquitted by a magistrate’s court because of a lack of evidence, his lawyer, Shumba Phillip, told the BBC.
“The state had one witness only, whose testimony was to the effect that he only saw the accused person in the toilet,” he added.
Mr Mufumisi was acquitted on 5 August, but his case has come to light only now and has become a talking point among many people in Zimbabwe, reports the BBC’s Brian Hungwe from the capital, Harare.
Another lawyer, Kumbirai Mafunda, said there were a growing number of cases of people accused of insulting Mr Mugabe.
“We believe this is an infringement of their freedom of expression,” he said.
In March, a senior member of Mr Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party, Solomon Madzore, was arrested after being accused of calling Mr Mugabe a “limping donkey” at an election rally.
He denied a charge of insulting the president.
Mr Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.
He won with 61% of the presidential vote against 34% for Mr Tsvangirai in the 31 July election.
The poll ended the power-sharing government the two leaders formed in 2009 to end conflict in Zimbabwe.
Posted by
Anonymous
August 29, 2013 at 9:15 am
ka mugabe ni ka skanka pakunya kamudala
DIVA
August 29, 2013 at 10:26 am
Insulting democratically voted for elder statesmen is not freedom of expression. The boy should have been jailed.
MundiaM
August 29, 2013 at 12:23 pm
Anonymous, please understand that you are not so anonymous. Stop insulting Cmd R. G. Mugabe, who is an elected leader in our neighbouring Zimbabwe. We have a warm and cordial relationship with Zimbabwe and whatever happens internally in that country is their own sovereign problem.
Learn some manners, these blogs are public fora and you should not spew insults on people who are older than your parents. That is why this generation is cursed, too much freedom beyond what the bible allows.
Papa Josh
August 29, 2013 at 12:50 pm
Umucinshi kubakulu twapapata…
CHALO BANTU
August 29, 2013 at 4:53 pm
Nangu nibukataka sure how can you know that someone has used your……….. as tissue as if someone was haunting that person umuchinshi kucipuna twapapata
SNOBAL
August 30, 2013 at 1:59 am
****** Anonymous ulekwatako umuchinshi,ninshi tawakwata wiso.