Standard journalist Nqobani Ndlovu, who was arrested by police in Bulawayo on Wednesday on charges of criminal defamation, is still being held in custody.
Ndlovu had been expected to appear in court Thursday to answer charges on a story he wrote about the cancellation of promotional exams in the police force.
The Standard scribe alleged in his article that the examinations were being scrapped to facilitate the absorption of war vets and retired officers back into the police force, ahead of next year’s elections.
SW Radio Africa understands that Ndlovu has been interrogated but has refused to divulge his source for the story. It is believed this has prompted the police to hold him for a further 24 hours, in the hope of trying to break him to reveal his source.
Our Bulawayo correspondent Lionel Saungweme told us Ndlovu’s lawyer has now approached the High court to get an injunction to force the police to release his client. ‘His lawyer (Josaphat Tshuma) says his client was not taken to court today (Thursday) because he refused to divulge his sources. This is why the police have refused to take him to court,’ Saungweme said.
The police have less than 24 hours to take Ndlovu to court or they will be forced to release him if they cannot prove there is a case of criminal defamation. A criminal defamation conviction can carry a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment.
Post published in: Politics