A junior police officer, constable Levias Ngwenya stationed at Plumtree Police Station has been arrested and arraigned before the courts for rallying colleagues and members of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) to defy orders by the government.
Ngwenya allegedly wrote on his Facebook account urging the police and soldiers to defy orders from their superiors to enforce lockdown regulations to allow the citizenry to participate in 31 July protests, in defiance of section 30 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
Plumtree magistrate Tayengwa Chibanda heard Ngwenya posted urging soldiers and police not allow Zanu-PF and Government to use them to attack their fellow brothers and sisters. Ngwenya allegedly posted again on 9 August, saying:
Zimbabwe police officers and ZNA must wake up and smell the coffee. It is time to embrace change not to fight our fellow citizens. Zanu-PF Government is using you for nothing.
What can you achieve with a paltry ZW$10 000 and useless Covid-19 risk allowance of US$75, which is not even accessible in banks. Wake up guys.
He was released on $500 bail, remanded to August 28 for trial and was ordered not to access his social media accounts.
He was also ordered to continue residing at his given address until the matter is finalised and not to interfere with State witnesses as part of the bail conditions.
More: The Chronicle