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MASVINGO — A 62-year-old man was last week taken to court for saying that ageing President Robert Mugabe “has failed and must go”.
The state says Rashidu Omar also castigated the land reform exercise, blaming it for food shortages that have plagued the nation.
Omar appeared before magistrate Stanford Mambanje facing charges of insulting the President and his Office. He has been remanded out of custody to January 6 next year.
Charges against Omar, brother to losing Zanu PF Masvingo Urban candidate Jusby Omar, date back to February 30 this year when he allegedly made the statements in front of a local Zanu PF official.
The state, led by Sophie Bhusvumani, alleges that Omar made the statement publicly in front of Zanu PF Ward 4 Women’s League chairlady, Hilda Mauto, at Food for Africa Restaurant.
The court further heard that Omar said that the violent takeover of mainly white-owned commercial farms largely by veterans of the liberation struggle was “a failure” since most resettled black farmers are sitting on the land, “growing grass” and leaving “their crops to compete with weeds”.
The accused’s statements did not go down well with the Zanu PF Women’s League official, who made a report to the police, leading to his arrest.
BY OUR CORRESPONDENT
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