By Wezhira Munya
In a controversial ruling, President Nelson Chamisa’s ally in Mwenezi District, Tineyi Mapepa, has been sentenced to 38 months in prison, with 18 months suspended, leaving him to serve an effective 20-month prison term.
Mwenezi Resident Magistrate Conceptor Ngwerume presided over the case, with the state being represented by prosecutor Leyton Katsidzira.
Mapepa, aged 46 and residing at Plot 67, Village 4, Muzhanjire Ranch in Mwenezi, was found guilty of inciting violence under Section 187(1) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act. The charges stem from a July 23, 2023 incident when Mapepa convened a campaign rally on behalf of President Chamisa and the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party at the Rutenga Business Center during the 2023 harmonized elections.
The state alleged that when police officers asked Mapepa to disperse the crowd at the end of the sanctioned rally time, he refused and urged the people not to leave. Mapepa is denying these false allegations. This allegedly led to a confrontation where police used excessive force and teargas to disperse the crowd. Honorable Amos Chibaya, the national organizer, and other pro-Chamisa supporters were beaten, injured, and affected by teargas.
Mapepa, represented by lawyer Noble Chinhanu of the Jiti Law Chambers, pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, Chinhanu did not attend the final court session, leaving Mapepa to face the consequences alone. Interestingly, Advocate Mureri was the one handling this case, but surprisingly he was removed from this case by Welfare Bureau and NGO Forum took over for one court session and never came back again.
This is the second high-profile case in Masvingo province where lawyers from the NGO Forum have been accused of failing to adequately represent pro-Chamisa members. In a similar incident in Gutu, five CCC supporters were sentenced to prison after the NGO Forum lawyers did not show up for their trial. Honorable Martin Mureri, the award-winning human rights lawyer and Masvingo Urban member of parliament, later successfully secured bail for the Gutu five.
Mureri is set to appear in the Masvingo High Court tomorrow to challenge the guilty verdict against the Gutu five CCC members. Pro-Chamisa citizens in Masvingo are demanding that their representatives be defended by lawyers from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, rather than the NGO Forum, which they feel has failed them in these high-stakes cases.
Commenting on Mapepa’s sentencing, the CCC’s head of legal affairs, Honorable Agency Gumbo, stated, “We are treating this matter as a priority and will be pushing and supporting the appeal of our colleague [Mapepa].” The appeal against Mapepa’s sentencing will be done soon.
This harsh sentence against a prominent Chamisa ally has sent shockwaves through Mwenezi, where the opposition perceives it as an attempt by the ruling ZANU-PF party to intimidate Chamisa supporters. Prior to the 2023 elections, ZANU-PF was accused of using violence against opposition backers in the district.
