MDC Alliance presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa has promised to employ in his security department a Chiredzi prison
officer who was charged and is set to appear before an internal tribunal for
allegedly praising him on Twitter.
MDC Alliance presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa and John
Mahlabera at the Chiredzi rally on Sunday
John Mahlabera is set to appear before the Zimbabwe Prisons
and Correctional Service internal disciplinary hearing today for contravening
section 3 (1) of the Prisons (Staff) Discipline Regulations 1984 of “using
traitorous or disloyal words regarding the President or the government” or
alternatively section 3 (46) of “being guilty of any other act, conduct,
disorder or neglect of duty to the prejudice of good conduct or discipline”.
This was after he allegedly heaped praises on Chamisa,
allegedly describing him as “my president”
According to the charge sheet, on April 9 near Chiredzi
Prison, Mahlabera “unlawfully” made political comments on his microblogging
Twitter handle after an MDC-T rally held at Jerera Growth Point in Zaka, which
was addressed by party president Nelson Chamisa.
Mahlabera, according to the charge sheet, tweeted: “Come to
Chiredzi my President”, thus “showing loyalty to the opposition party
president, while exhibiting disloyalty and disgraceful contact (sic) to the
President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Head of State and Government and the
Commander-in-chief-of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces or his office”.
But addressing a capacity crowd at Tshovani Stadium at the
last leg of his rallies on Sunday, Chamisa called Mahlabera to the podium and
assured him that he will get back his job once the MDC-T gets into power and
maybe even get a promotion.
“I hear there is a prison officer who got in trouble for
liking me, I looked for him and could not find him, if he is here, he should
come here as he will get back his job starting on 1t, when we assume power,
even with a promotion.
“We like people like these who want good things for the
country. From today you will be working closely with us, if you want your job
back, you will get it, if you want to be part of my security, I will rope you
in,” Chamisa said amid applause from the crowd.
However, Mahlabera’s lawyer, Collins Maboke, of the
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), said the allegations infringed on his
client’s freedom of expression.
“First of all, they do not have evidence to the effect that
the Twitter account belonged to my client. Secondly, how did they come to the
conclusion that he was referring to the president of the MDC-T, Nelson Chamisa?
What if he was referring to another president of an association or President
Emmerson Mnangagwa. Again, the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression,”
he said.
Mahlabera joins a long list of 200 other Zimbabweans,
according to the ZLHR, who have been arrested and prosecuted in courts by the
previous administration of ex-president Robert Mugabe for undermining the
authority of and insulting the President. Newsday
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