Editor faces contempt of court charges

The editor of the weekly independent newspaper, The Standard, was arrested Thursday for publishing an article deemed to be prejudicial to the State and faces contempt of court charges.

The editor, Davison Maruziva, faces charges on charges of contravening section 31 (a)(b) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act for publishing or communicating a false statement prejudicial to the State, according to a police statement issued yesterday

The article in question was written by Arthur Mutambara, leader of a formation of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change on April 17 2008, a day before the Independence Day commemorations.

Arthur Mutambara launched an attack on President Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean government and the Zanu PF party.

Part of the article read: “There is a method to the Zanu PF madness we have witnessed in the last three weeks. Mugabe’s strategy is pure and simple: Regain control of Parliament by criminal and crooked means, win a run-off (or re-run) of the Presidential elections by using brute force and blatant rigging.”

Mutambara called the ruling party Zanu PF’s election strategy as a ‘game plan’ and an ‘evil strategy’.

Mutambara also alleged that was “clearly criminal collusion between ZEC and Zanu PF,” and called South African President, Thabo Mbeki President Mugabe’s “partner in crime”.

Mutambara, who currently lives in South Africa had even harsher words for President Mbeki, “Yes, Mr. Mbeki … We are sick and tired of your shameless antics. You clamour that Zimbabwe is not a Province of South Africa, and yet you treat us worse than your mother’s backyard. Whatever credibility and political capital you had left from Polokwane, you are busy dissipating with reckless abandon.”

Mutambara called on the newly-elected legislators to impeach President Mugabe once they are sworn in.

In the article, Mutambara called for the “prosecution of public servants, including military and police officers,” a “processes to rationalize the land reform program” and called for the “immediate removal from office, and criminal prosecution of, the RBZ Governor, Gideon Gono”.

A political analyst who denied to be named said, “Mutambara has a tendency to have these emotional undiplomatic outbursts, which always leave him defeated.”

“He failed to win a seat in parliament and his faction is in tatters,” said the analyst.

“It is interesting that the Standard editor gets arrested, but not the writer of the article.”

It is not clear whether the MDC leader himself will be charged under the same laws.

The Zimbabwe Guardian failed to get hold of Assistant Police Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena at the time of going to press.

According to The Herald newspaper, Maruziva also “faces charges of breaching section 182 (a)(b) of the Criminal Codification and Reform Act which relates to an opinion he allegedly wrote on the judgment given by Justice Tendayi Uchena following an application by the MDC-T over the March 29 election results.”

He is likely to appear in court today (Friday).