Editor of Zimbabwe Independent newspaper, Faith Zaba, has spent the third night behind bars after the Zimbabwe Republic Police arrested her on charges of allegedly undermining the authority of or insulting the president.

Her bail application was heard before Harare Magistrate Vakayi Chikwekwe on Thursday, but proceedings were postponed to Friday as the magistrate cited a power outage affecting the Harare Magistrate’s Court. 

Chikwekwe expressed “sincere apologies”, and told the court that he was typing his ruling when the power outage hit the premises. Zaba was remanded in custody and is scheduled to return to court on Friday morning.

Speaking to IOL News, Media Institute of Southern Africa Zimbabwe (MISA Zimbabwe) Harare advocacy chairperson, Mlondolozi Ndlovu said the media fraternity is hoping for Zaba’s release on Friday.

“What transpired in court today (Thursday) is that Mr Chris Mhike, Faith’s lawyer made her bail application and the state consented to her being granted bail. The state did not disagree with Mr Mhike that Faith must be granted bail. Mr Mhike highlighted that he is a citizen in good standing, a professional who holds different positions in the media at the local and international level,” said Ndlovu.

“As such, she is a responsible citizen who must be given bail. The magistrate was supposed to give a ruling on the bail, but he indicated that he could not do so because there was no electricity. While he (the magistrate) was still typing the judgment, the bail ruling, electricity went off at the Harare Magistrate’s Court, so the magistrate cited that as a reason for him not granting her bail.

“The matter was moved to Friday, where he said he is going to make a decision on where she will be granted or denied bail. That is what happened,” said Ndlovu, who is also a veteran journalist.

Zaba initially appeared in court on Tuesday, a day after her arrest on charges of undermining the authority of, or insulting the president.

The arrest, which has attracted widespread condemnation from human rights bodies and press freedom watchdogs, stems from a satirical article published under the “Muckracker” column criticising President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the current chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

On Wednesday, Zaba appeared briefly before Magistrate Chikwekwe, and her bail hearing was deferred to Thursday morning.

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Prosecutor Takudzwa Jambawu requested that the bail hearing be rolled over to Thursday, as the state needed time to verify Zaba’s medical records.

Zaba’s lawyer, Chris Mhike, has expressed disappointment, emphasising that the senior journalist has not been feeling well.

The article which stirred the hornet’s nest was published on Friday by the independent weekly newspaper, with the headline: “When you become mafia state”.

Mhike previously told IOL that after the Zimbabwe Republic Police on Tuesday recorded a warned and cautioned statement from Zaba, the police insisted on detaining her overnight, pending the court appearance on Wednesday.

“We are deeply disappointed with the determination of the authorities to lock Zaba up, even in the face of medical confirmation of her current severe illness,” Mhike previously told IOL News.

Senior Alpha Media Holdings and HStv journalist Blessed Mhlanga recently spent 72 days at the crowded Harare Remand Prison after HStv broadcast utterances by former Zanu PF central committee member, Blessed Geza, calling for President Mnangagwa to step down.

In May, Mhlanga was granted provisional release from prison.

Meanwhile, Media Monitoring Africa has “strongly” condemned the arrest and detention of the respected Zimbabwean journalist.

jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za

IOL News  

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