Alfred
Ngonidzaishe
Machakaire,
who
resides
in
Gowo
village
under
Chief
Makoni
in
Inyati
in
Makoni
District
in
Manicaland
province,
had
spent
36
days
in
both
police
cells
and
at
Rusape
Prison
after
he
was
arrested
on
24
February
2025
by
Zimbabwe
Republic
Police
officers,
who
charged
him
with
undermining
authority
of
or
insulting
President
Mnangagwa
as
defined
in
section
33(2)(a)(b)
of
the
Criminal
Law
(Codification
and
Reform)
Act.
According
to
prosecutors,
Machakaire
undermined
authority
of
and
insulted
President
Mnangagwa
when
he
was
involved
in
a
verbal
altercation
with Leonard
Chidemo,
the
ruling
ZANU
PF
political
party
Councillor
for
Ward
5
in
Makoni
North
constituency
in
Makoni
District
in
Manicaland,
who
was
drinking
beer
at
Mugadza
Bottle
Store
at
Runyange
Business
Centre
in
Chendambuya,
where
he
allegedly
asked
Chidemo
to
buy
him
some
beer.
Chidemo
reportedly
told
Machakaire
that
he
did
not
have
some
money
to
buy
him
beer
and
this
did
not
go
down
well
with
him
and
he
started
shouting
at
the
ZANU
PF
political
party
Councillor.
Prosecutors
said
Machakaire,
who
was
represented
by Leonard
Chigadza of Zimbabwe
Lawyers
for
Human
Rights,
undermined
authority
of
or
insulted
President
Mnangagwa
by
uttering
the
following
words;
“You
Chidemo,
down
with
Mnangagwa,
I
am
Geza,
on
the
31st,
the
country
will
be
fine,
Mnangagwa
is
a
vagina,
you
have
caused
the
death
of
people
in
the
country.”
According
to
prosecutors,
Machakaire
acted
unlawfully
when
he
allegedly
uttered
the
insulting
words
and
also
praised
Geza,
a
veteran
of
the
liberation
war
and
a
ZANU
PF
political
party
central
committee
member,
who
was
recently
expelled
from
the
ruling
political
party,
after
opposing
manoeuvres
to
amend
the
Constitution
and
extend
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa’s
tenure
beyond
two
terms.
On
1
April
2025,
Machakaire
was
a
relieved
man
after
the
NPA
declined
to
prosecute
him
and
he
was
released
from
prison
custody.
Machakaire
is
the
latest
person
to
be
set
free
after
the
NPA
recently
ceased
prosecution
of Ishmael
Maukazuva,
the
Councillor
for
Ward
12
in
Chikomba
West
constituency
in
Mashonaland
East
province,
who
had
been
in
detention
after
he
was
arrested
by
ZRP
officers
and
charged
with
undermining
authority
of
or
insulting
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa.
Post
published
in:
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