Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Jacob Ngarivhume, the leader of the Transform Zimbabwe party, has been acquitted by the High Court after serving eight months of his three-year jail sentence for inciting violence on Twitter. The judges, Pisirayi Kwenda and Fatima Maxwell, stated that there was no evidence to prove Ngarivhume owned the Twitter account in question.
His release has sparked various reactions from people of different backgrounds, who have raised concerns about the fairness of the legal process and the lack of evidence presented during the trial.
Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono highlighted that Jacob Ngarivhume has been acquitted after being wrongly convicted and spending eight months in prison. Chin’ono believes this was part of political persecution by the Mnangagwa regime due to Ngarivhume’s call for protests against corruption. He said
Jacob Ngarivhume has been acquitted after being wrongly convicted and jailed for 4 years. He added: He spent 8 months in prison as part of political persecution by the Mnangagwa regime after he called for protests against corruption! Courts are routinely used to persecute political opponents of the regime!
Former ZCTU president, Peter Gift Mutasa, expressed gratitude to God for Ngarivhume’s release. Mutasa said:
Receiving good news of Jacob Ngarivhume acquittal We thank God for keeping him safe
Obert Masaraure, the president of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), stated that Ngarivhume should never have been imprisoned and should have been commended for fighting corruption. He said:
We welcome the release of @NgarivhumeJacob In a normal country Ngarivhume should have received an award for fighting against corruption. In Zimbabwe he had to spent 8 months in prison. We are glad he has been reunited with his family and very soon Sikhala will also be released.
Heal Zimbabwe Trust welcomed the end of his incarceration. They said:
We welcome the end of Jacob Ngarivhume’s unjust incarceration. His now overturned conviction is a symbol of the injustice that has now characterised our judicial system.
Morgen Komichi, a former senior official in the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), celebrated Ngarivhume’s freedom. He said:
Jacob Ngarivhume is finally FREE from the claws from the leopard. God is great. Let’s Praise the Lord
Zimbabwe Human Rights Monitors Platform also said Ngarivhume should not have been behind bars for calling for a peaceful protest in the first place. They said:
Jacob Ngarivhume has just been acquitted in a case where he had earlier been sentenced to 4 years in prison. He should not have been behind bars for calling for a peaceful protest in the first place.
David Coltart, former Primary and Secondary Education Minister (during the Government of National Unity) said:
I am overjoyed by the news that Jacob Ngarivhume has been acquitted of the patently spurious charges he was facing. I am appalled that he was unjustly jailed for 8 months and hope that he can sue the State for this grave travesty of justice. #Zimbabwe
Human rights activist Makomborero Haruzivishe admired Ngarivhume’s dedication as a people’s fighter. He said: Mr
Jacob Ngarivhume was not supposed to have been arrested, convicted and jailed in the first place. That you (Thank you) @ProfMadhuku, @ZLHRLawyers and the entire legal team for securing his freedom. Mr Ngarivhume is a real people’s fighter. This persecution by prosecution was meant to silence him for speaking out and organising against corruption and dictatorship which are the flagships of ZanuPf. In turmoil and tenacity, victory is certain! #PeoplePower #ZanuPfMustGo #FreeAllPoliticalPrisonersInZimbabwe
However, a ZANU PF apologist, Kudzai Mutesi, criticised Ngarivhume and warned him to avoid trouble in the future. He said:
Ngarivhume will learn to behave … His family will advise him to stay away from trouble… Only Prof Madhuku could save him from prison, the other cashvist lawyers were enjoying his incarceration…. Never put your trust in the cashvist folks, they don’t care about anyone.
Some believe that Ngarivhume was intentionally imprisoned to prevent him from participating in the 2023 harmonised elections, which took place between 23 and 24 August. Ngarivhume was accused of being one of the organisers of the unsuccessful anti-corruption protest on 31 July 2020. He now denies owning the Twitter account that called for a national shutdown to protest against the ZANU PF-led government’s poor leadership.
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