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Newsday journalist summoned to court
MISA-Zimbabwe
January 23, 2013
Newsday Features
and Supplements editor Ropafadzo Mapimhidze has been summoned to
appear at Masvingo magistrate court on 24 January 2013. This follows
a complaint by Chief Nhema (Rangarirai Bwawanda) alleging that he
was telephonically abused by Maphimhidze in contravention of section
88 of the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act. The law criminalises
offensive or false telephone messages.
Section 88 states
that any person who;
(a) sends by
telephone any message that is grossly offensive or is of an indecent,
obscene or threatening
character; or
(b) sends by
telephone any message that he knows to be false for the purpose
of causing annoyance,
inconvenience
or needless anxiety to any other person; or
(c) makes any
telephone call or series or combination of telephone calls without
reasonable cause for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience
or needless anxiety;
shall be guilty
of an offence and liable to a fine . . . or to imprisonment for
a period not exceeding six months or to both such fine and such
imprisonment.)
Chief Nhema
is basing his complaint on s.88 (c) of the Act.
Allegations
are that some time last year Mapimhidze repeatedly phoned Chief
Nhema while following up on leads to reports that he orchestrated
political violence in his area.
MISA Zimbabwe
will provide an update on the case as it unfolds.
Visit
the MISA-Zimbabwe fact
sheet
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